Mikel Arteta has been asked if he thought United had strengthened this summer in his pre-match press conference.
Manchester United fans’ wait for the Premier League’s return is almost at an end. The league kicks off this evening with Liverpool versus Bournemouth, and United’s campaign begins on Sunday against Arsenal.
Fans will be eager to see United’s new attacking trio playing together for the first time. It’s not certain if all three will feature together or if some of United’s pre-existing players will be integrated into the attack.
However, the prospect of Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha, and Bryan Mbeumo leading the line for Ruben Amorim against one of the club’s biggest rivals will be sure to inspire some excitement back in to fans after a deflating season.
Ahead of the match, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta shared his thoughts on United’s recent recruitment during the summer transfer window.
Arteta delivers assessment on “really good” United trio
In his press conference ahead of the Premier League opening weekend, Arteta was asked about whether or not he thinks United will be better this season.
The Arsenal boss suggested that United have recruited ‘really well’ with the signings of Cunha, Mbeumo and Šeško and believes they will be better heading into the new campaign.
“I don’t know, they will be different as well, and the manager will have more time with them. They have a pre-season, they made some really good signings as well, like anybody else. I think they strengthen, and they will be better than last year, like the rest of the teams,” he said.
It is well-known that Arteta and Arsenal were interested in signing Šeško earlier this summer and even considered the move last year. Instead, they decided to pivot to Viktor Gyokeres.
Both as a player and as a manager, Arteta has encountered United on numerous occasions, and he was asked to share some of his memories about the past fixtures:
“It’s the clashes when I was younger as well, and there were some massive characters as well playing for both teams, and it created something different in those games. Now it is different, but still it’s going to be super intense and I’m very excited,” he added.
Arteta’s history against United
Arteta has faced United on numerous occasions both as a player and as a manager. As a player, he faced United while representing Arsenal, Everton and Rangers, and as a manager, he has faced them again with Arsenal. Below is Arteta’s record against United:
| Arteta’s record vs United | Wins | Draws | Losses |
| Player | 2 | 4 | 11 |
| Manager | 7 | 2 | 3 |
Arteta’s record against United as a player was poor, as he only managed two wins in 17 attempts, both of which came during his time at Everton. As a manager, he has had much better luck having dealt blows to Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Ralf Rangnick, Erik ten Hag and Amorim.
Ruben Amorim’s record against Mikel Arteta is a tightly contested one. The two managers have faced each other on five occasions, and four of them were draws in 90 minutes. Of those four draws, Amorim’s side went on to win on penalties twice, making the record two wins to Amorim, one to Arteta and two draws.
This weekend’s fixture will not only be the perfect opportunity for either team to galvanise their season by defeating their rival, but it also serves as an opportunity for Arteta to even his head-to-head record with Amorim.
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