This weekend will be the first
time Robin van Persie will face his
former employers, as
Manchester United take on
Arsenal in Saturday's early kick-
off from Old Trafford, with live
updates from midday on
talkSPORT.
The Dutchman has started his
Man United career in impeccable
fashion, bagging seven Premier
League goals and nine in total
already this season and will be
licking his lips against an Arsenal
side which shipped five goals to
Reading midweek in the Capital
One Cup.
With RVP preparing to pounce,
we decided to take a look at a
handful of former Arsenal
players who came back to haunt
them.
Emmanuel Adebayor
Emmanuel Adebayor's exit from
Arsenal in the summer of 2009
was one of the most acrimonious
transfers in recent history. Once
the golden boy of the Gunners,
the Togolese striker soon
became a figure of hate at the
Emirates and Arsenal's fans
certainly made their feelings
known when the two sides met
at the Etihad. Adebayor would
have the last laugh that day, as
he scored against the Gunners in
a 4-2 win and proceeded to run
the length of the pitch to
celebrate in front of irate
Arsenal fans.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst
Initially brought to Arsenal to fill
the midfield void left by
Emmanuel Petit, Van
Bronckhorst's time in north
London will be remembered for
his lengthy period on the
sidelines. After returning to the
first team squad he found
opportunities limited and was
finally sold in the summer of
2003 to Barcelona. Van
Bronckhorst would finally show
Arsenal what he was capable of,
playing a pivotal role in the
Catalan club's successful rise in
the mid-'00s, helping Barca beat
Arsenal in the 2006 Champions
League final.
Andy Cole
Believe it or not, but Andy Cole
actually started his career at
Arsenal, graduating from their
youth academy and making one
senior appearance before being
sold to Bristol City as a fledging
19 year-old. Unfortunately for
the Gunners, Cole would go on to
have a hugely successful career,
but it was his time at bitter
rivals Manchester United which
will stick with Arsenal fans the
most. Along with strike partner
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the hitman
picked apart Arsenal at Highbury
in 1997 and was an integral part
of the United side that broke
Gooner hearts en route to the
Red Devils' 1999 treble.
Nicolas Anelka
Thierry Henry once said the one
player he wishes he could have
played with at Arsenal was
Nicolas Anelka. When he broke on
to the English football scene in
the late '90s, Anelka was viewed
as one of the world's best young
strikers. His form at Highbury
won him plenty of plaudits, not
to mention the 1998 double, but
his attitude ultimately proved his
downfall and he left Arsenal in
1999. After periods in Spain and
France, he returned to England,
playing for no fewer than four
Premier League sides. It was
during his time at Bolton and
Chelsea that the Frenchman
really showed his worth,
haunting Arsenal with crucial
goals. His strike for Chelsea in a
4-1 victory against Arsenal in
May 2009 ensured that the
Blues would snatch the final
automatic qualification spot,
forcing Arsenal to finish the
season in fourth place.
David Bentley
Now seen as football's forgotten
man, David Bentley looked to
have a bright future at Arsenal
after graduating from the club's
academy in 2002. Despite being
heralded as the 'next David
Beckham', Bentley only made one
league appearance for the
Gunners and soon found himself
loaned out first to Norwich City
and then to Blackburn Rovers,
whom he would eventually join in
2006. After crossing the north
London divide to join Tottenham
Hotspur in 2008, Bentley would
return to haunt his boyhood
club, scoring a memorable goal as
the Lilywhites stunned Arsenal to
come back from the dead in a
4-4 draw at the Emirates.
Sebastian Larsson
Much like Bentley, Seb Larsson
was once viewed as a potential
Arsenal star, but failed to live up
to expectations in north London.
The Swedish international only
made 12 appearances for the
Gunners, mostly in the League
Cup, before being sold on to
Birmingham in 2007 for £1m.
Larsson got his revenge on
Arsenal, though, inspiring
Birmingham to victory over the
Gunners in the 2011 League Cup
final.
Who will win between Man United
and Arsenal on Saturday? Will
Robin van Persie score against
his former club?