Ruben Amorim says Manchester United must stop “really special” Arsenal star after Bukayo Saka injury

Ruben Amorim has warned his Manchester United about one “really special” Arsenal star ahead of the upcoming FA Cup clash.

Manchester United have turned their attention to the FA Cup this week as they look to defend their victory from last season.

Ruben Amorim’s men face a tough third-round test against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, the second time they will visit the North London side in the last month.

The Reds fell to a 2-0 defeat against Arsenal at the beginning of December, conceding both goals from Arteta’s well-known set-piece routines.

Following a resolute performance against Liverpool over the weekend, Amorim will be determined to see his team uphold their standards and avoid repeating past mistakes.

Amorim praises “really special” Odegaard for Arsenal

United will be thankful that Arsenal are without their star man Bukayo Saka this time around, with the England international out of action with injury.

However, Amorim is not complacent and believes his side needs to watch out for Martin Odegaard in Saka’s absence.

Amorim praised the “very special” Norwegian midfielder during his pre-match press conference and explained that Arsenal are a different team when he is not in the line-up.

“I think he is really special, because his influence on all the games of Arsenal is impressive,” Amorim told reporters.

“I played against them with Sporting, and he didn’t play both games and you feel it in the team.

“When he’s playing, Arsenal is a different team, [but] they can win and they can lose with Odegaard. I expect a strong team and if Odegaard is in the team, they will be stronger, for sure.”

Amorim confirms Bayindir will start for United vs Arsenal

There isn’t likely to be too much rotation on Sunday after a full week of rest and training, however, United will be making one significant change to the side.

Altay Bayindir will return to the team and replace André Onana between the sticks. It will be the Turkish goalkeeper’s fifth appearance for the club and second under Amorim.

The 26-year-old did not cover himself in glory last time out, with a poor display and multiple errors leading to goals in United’s 4-3 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup.

One of those came directly from a corner, which will undoubtably have caught the eye of Arteta and his side.

It remains to be seen how much the hosts will rotate after their poor display in the Carabao Cup semi-finals last time out.

Read More: Mikel Arteta confirms Arsenal injury blow as four Manchester United stars unavailable for Rúben Amorim

The FA Cup could be Arteta’s only realistic chance of silverware this season as they continue to slip away in the Premier League. But they could have one eye on their clash against rivals Spurs next Wednesday too.

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