When I left Arsenal, I knew I would get my hands on a trophy

ROBIN VAN PERSIE admits he is “floating on a cloud” as he prepares to end his long wait for silverware on Sunday.

Champions Manchester United have a title-winning party planned at Old Trafford after they play Swansea.

And the striker knows what will take pride of place in his house as a lasting memento of his brilliant campaign — a huge photo of him holding the Premier League trophy.

RVP last picked up a winner’s medal eight years ago when he lifted the FA Cup with Arsenal.

Now he has tasted glory again — and he admits it is even sweeter than he expected.

The Dutch ace, whose hat-trick against Aston Villa a fortnight ago won the title, said: “There were some great pictures taken after the
Villa game but there was one thing missing from them all... the trophy.

“That’s the picture that will be framed in my house — me lifting the Premier League trophy. I can’t wait for that moment.

“I’ve had to wait a long time to be a champion and it’s even nicer than I thought, it tastes lovely.

“I feel like I’m floating on a cloud. This is the feeling you dream of. Everything is about lifting the trophy.”

Van Persie, 29, hoped winning medals would be a regular occurrence when he started his career with Feyenoord in Holland — but since then they have largely eluded him.

However, he knew the best possible way to end that drought would be to leave Arsenal and move to United in a £22million deal last summer.

He said: “As a youth player I was used to winning trophies, right through from Under-12s to Under-18s. We won the UEFA Cup at
Feyenoord three months after I started and I remember thinking ‘OK, this will happen every year’.

“I won the Dutch Cup the next year but I’ve realised since then that it’s not that simple.

“But from day one at United I was almost certain we’d win trophies — not in a couple of years but this year.

“I saw the players training, I saw the way they behaved. the way they lived, their mentality, the way the staff worked, the way the manager and staff acted. When all those elements combine you end up with a team of champions.”

Barring a late flurry of goals from Tottenham’s Gareth Bale, RVP seems certain to top off his excellent first season by picking up the Golden Boot this month.

The 25-goal Premier League top scorer said: “Even if I’d scored half the number of goals and we’d won the league I’d have been happy.

“But the Golden Boot would be a bonus.”

Surprisingly, only one of Van Persie’s goals has come in front of Old Trafford’s iconic Stretford End.

He admitted: “I don’t know why, I don’t understand it.

“I want to score more goals there. In fact, I promise I will score more goals at the Stretford End.”

Since clinching the title, United have taken just one point from two matches.

Now RVP wants to round off the season in style when he faces Swansea and West Brom.

He said: “After winning the league we had a couple of days to celebrate but then it was a case of going back to normal. We haven’t trained any differently since.

“We know we’ll finish the season as champions — but we also want to finish it playing like champions.”