Van Persie 'gasped for breath' following Fergie's 'shocking' retirement announcement

Manchester United striker Robin van Persie has revealed that he had to gasp for breath after he and his teammates were hit with the news of Sir Alex Ferguson's resignation.

According to the Dutchman, the entire United team was left dumbstruck and stunned when Ferguson told them that he was ending his 27-year-old reign as the boss of Old Trafford, The Sun reports.

According to Van Persie, as soon as the Scot came through the dressing room on that fateful day, the first thing he said that he was retiring, which left him gasping for breath, and wondering whether he had heard that correctly or not.

Stating that the room became deathly quiet following which everyone started getting emotional, Van Persie further said that Ferguson then had a long talk with the squad, adding that he felt privileged to have witnessed the speech, which he termed as 'special'.

Van Persie also said that the news was an historic moment for football, despite the shock and the disappointment that the announcement left in its wake.

Meanwhile, the former Arsenal ace, who has just been appointed captain of Holland, also revealed that he had passed up the chance to earn millions from product endorsements, saying that he chooses such endorsements if he supports them, adding that he also looks to see if the product sends a good message to young people.

Van Persie also said that he ignores a good number of such endorsements as his first priority is to his game.