Departing Manchester United striker Robin van Persie was greeted by a horde of Turkish fans when he arrived in the country to sign for Fenerbahce.









The Dutch star was mobbed by hundreds of fans as he emerged from the airport, with what looked like smoke from flares filling the air.





The enthusiastic greeting could give Van Persie a glimpse into the fanatical fan culture in Turkish football, where flares are small-fry, violence and riots are commonplace.





Probably the most famous instance of Turkish fans' aggression is the infamous "Welcome to Hell" banners which greeted Manchester United when they played Galatasaray back in the 90s, but the culture is fairly embedded in most clubs in the country - and they haven't mellowed much in the last 20 years.





Back in Manchester, Van Persie's former United team-mates have paid tribute to the striker on social media.





Fellow Dutchman Daley Blind posted the following picture of the pair on Instagram, saying "Thanks for everything @robinvanpersie. Wish you all the best with your new adventure!"





Rio Ferdinand's tribute, meanwhile, was a little more wordy - with a Facebook post which nearly reached 500 words long as he recounted some memories of their time together at Old Trafford.





Ferdinand said: "As a player he is so silky to watch, great touch, can hold the ball up & bring others into play, timings of his runs, skills & a dream of a left foot....oh and he can finish!





"He was actually a better player than I thought he was when he arrived at Manchester United - I had played against him many times vs Arsenal, so I knew he was good but not this good."





Antonio Valencia also posted well-wishes on his Instagram account, as did Netherlands legend Patrick Kluivert who said: "I wish u all the best with your new adventure my friend"





Antonio Valencia wishes his soon to be former teammate Robin van Persie well as he prepares to join Fenerbahce #SSNHQ pic.twitter.com/Ijofsd486b — Sky Sports News HQ (@SkySportsNewsHQ) July 12, 2015







