London - Captain Robin van Persie insists Arsenal have not tried to sign his son Shaqueel but admitted they invited the five-year-old in for training sessions.

The Dutch striker’s son hit the headlines this week when it was claimed that the Gunners had heard of his prodigious talent and hoped to add him to their youth ranks. Van Persie says that Shaqueel is happy playing with his friends but could occasionally train with his father’s club as well.

“He plays in a team with some of his school friends; he is lucky to have a very good coach, who I rate highly. Those kids have so much fun, and I don’t really want to take him away from all that. “We have the option to take him for an extra session a week at Arsenal and we’re thinking about it - I might bring him along to try it and see whether he likes it,” Van Persie told Arsenal.com.

Despite confirming the club’s invitation to the youngster Van Persie reiterated that this move does not necessarily mean the club is keen on the five-year-old.

“But it’s not as serious as Arsenal wanting to sign him - the club just gave us the option to have a look, because they’ve seen and heard a couple of things about him. It’s true that he’s doing well and has good timing, but like any kid of his age he enjoys a lot of different things.

“It’s far too early to say that he’s a special talent or anything like that; for me, the main thing for both of my children is that they enjoy whatever they are doing, whether it’s football or something else. I saw a couple of newspaper articles talking about him but trust me, it’s nothing that serious!”

Shaqueel’s prowess at golf has also been the subject of speculation, and Van Persie says his son has shown promising signs in the sport.