Manchester United striker Robin van Persie lavished praise on the retiring Sir Alex Ferguson after a manic 5-5 draw with West Brom on Sunday.
United took a commanding 5-2 lead but the Baggies hit back with three late goals to ensure a first ever 5-5 draw in the Premier League and deny Fergie a win in his 1500th and final game in charge at Old Trafford.
“I was waiting for some Fergie time at the end,” joked Van Persie.
“It didn’t happen but to score 10 goals was good fun for everyone, so I think the fans are pleased.”
Both sides formed a guard of honour for Ferguson before the game, with the West Brom supporters joining their United counterparts to applaud the Scot after the final whistle.
“After 26 and a half years at United and, before that, at Aberdeen, Sir Alex deserved it,” said Van Persie.
“He’s unbelievable and what the West Brom fans did was a nice touch.
“It’s right to show respect. It doesn’t always happen in football but, today [Sunday] it did and I’m glad.”
Now though, United are preparing for the arrival of David Moyes, although Van Persie does not expect any problems.
“Everybody wants to work for each other and share the success and I’m 100 per cent sure that we will play for trophies every year and, hopefully, win a few every year. That’s our standard for this team,” he said.
“Of course, we get a new manager next year and everybody is looking forward to that. It’s a new challenge for everyone. We’ll have a nice break now and then we go again.”
And Van Persie will be attempting to follow Thierry Henry and Alan Shearer as a Golden Boot winner in three consecutive seasons.
“The Barclays Premier League means everything and the Golden Boot is like a little bit extra but they should make 25 of them because we do it together,” he said.
“Today [Sunday] it was a great cross by Antonio Valencia and an easy goal.
“We did this together and I’m so happy with how everything went. This is a great team and, hopefully, we can go for even more trophies.
“I’m sure we can.”
