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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admits Robin van Persie’s age meant the striker was ever more likely to leave Emirates Stadium the longer their trophy drought continued.

Former skipper Van Persie is in line for a hot reception in what will be his first return to Arsenal on Sunday since a controversial £24million summer move to Manchester United.

Some disgruntled Arsenal fans are said to be ready to turn their backs in protest when the teams come out from the tunnel for a guard of honour to mark United’s achievement in securing a 20th championship.

Wenger admits it was "one of the hardest decisions” to sell Van Persie - who netted a hat-trick which beat Aston Villa 3-0 at Old Trafford on Monday night to claim the title - rather than look to hold him to the final year of his contract.

The Arsenal manager, though, can understand the desire of the Holland forward to look to claim success elsewhere rather than continuing to wait in hope for Arsenal to finally come good in 2013.

Wenger said: "Robin arrived at the age of 29 and thought ‘can we win the championship here or do I have to more chances to win it somewhere else?’

"There is a kind of timescale like for a woman who has no baby at 39, she starts to think, ‘I have not much time left now’.”

The manager continued: "It is difficult when the player does not want to be here, to force him to be here and know that at the end of the season the club does not get anything with knowing that he might not contribute as well, so you are twice a loser.

"We have lost some other big players like Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, but they had won with the club and they were around 30 or 31.

Agencies