New Netherlands captain Robin van Persie has insisted that last summer's media silence was at the request of former club Arsenal.

Following the European Championships Van Persie moved to Manchester United and he said that the "sensitivity" of the deal meant that he could not talk to the press during the tournament.

"That was a wish of my club Arsenal and that had everything to do with the sensitivity of my proposed transfer to Manchester United," Sky Sports News quotes Van Persie as saying.

"I didn't estimate the outcome really at the time. Maybe I was too naive.

"To be the only one to not talk, I became a mythical figure and the outside world thought I was placing myself out of the group."

Van Persie won the Premier League title in his first season at Manchester United.