Former Celtic striker lays into “arsehole” Van Persie

There was a time when Robin van Persie would only have fallings-out with the game's elite.

It shows how far the former Manchester United frontman has fallen that he now has to settle for being called out by the likes of Pierre van Hooijdonk. The pair have a few things in common. Both are strikers; both have 40+ caps for the Netherlands; both have scored goals for Fenerbahce. But that might be where the similarities end. Van Hooijdonk, best known on these shores for his spells with Celtic and Nottingham Forest, has claimed Van Persie was an "arsehole" when the pair met during the 2014 World Cup. Speaking on Dutch TV show Derksen &, the 45-year-old said his suggestion that Van Persie should be dropped from the Dutch starting line-up was met with a recommendation that he should "stick to playing golf". "Obviously he has more problems with me than I with him," Van Hooijdonk said "I don't know what his problem is. This says more about him than about me, but I did think for a second: you arsehole."