Since signing for Manchester United, Robin van Persie hasn’t been able to stop talking about how happy he is at the club.

“I go into work every day whistling,” he said. “From the first day, they have made me feel welcome, the boys made me feel right at home. I feel better and fitter. In the last week, I played Wednesday and Saturday. In those games I played with ease.”

We’re top of the league, he gets on well with his new team mates, he plays for the best manager in the world, but Van Persie has singled out coach Rene Meulensteen for praise.

“The way he trains is exceptional,” he added. “He is truly one of the best coaches in the world. I have had a lot of good trainers, but it’s the way he prepares our team for games. Every match is different, so every training session in the build-up to games is unique. We know exactly what to expect and he wins points for us through his training. We’ve won a lot of games by the odd goal and they are point winners, which we train for. For instance, against Chelsea I scored after a low cross from Antonio Valencia on the right. It might seem a fluke but the whole week before the game was spent working on that move. Another example is my goal against Wigan, when I cut the ball inside and shot with my right foot. Again this situation, we trained on. Training is really good. It’s a very pleasant environment to work in.”