MAN UTD v ARSENAL WENGER: NOW I FINALLY SEE HOW GREAT UNITED WERE

Arsenal boss faces rivals for last time

IT WILL be his 28th visit to Old Trafford as a manager and Arsene Wenger has hinted it may not be his last.

‘In France we say “au revoir” which means we might see you again,’ said the outgoing Arsenal manager, smiling.

Wenger’s appetite for work remains and it is feasible he may return to Old Trafford as coach of another team. But he will not fool anyone if he pretends it will be anything like the same.

During the years when Wenger was making his unique mark on the Premier League, his rivalry with Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United went some way to defining both the highs and the lows of the period.

When Arsenal were strong under Wenger, they were strong at Old Trafford. When they were not, they were often exposed. Tomorrow, one would imagine the United support will rise to him. They certainly should.

Between 1997 and 2004, when it was either United or Arsenal who won the Premier League, neither would have been quite as strong had the other not been around. As such, Wenger and the modern United owe each other something. It is hard to reach the top if there isn’t somebody pushing you.

Wenger hinted at this yesterday when he said: ‘I don’t know what kind of reception I will get but there have been some great battles in 22 years and if I get a good reception I will take it.

‘Manchester United is a massive club with fantastic players. When I look back now I realise what a great team they were. They had Giggs, Scholes, Beckham, Ronaldo and Rooney, all young players.

‘Then you see what they have done later and that shows the challenge we always had. They had an unbelievable team. I realise that better at a distance now than I did at the time.’

Wenger lost his first game 1-0 at Old Trafford in November 1996. Arsenal had a horror show there almost five years later as they lost 6-1 but were back to clinch the title a year later with a goal from Sylvain Wiltord.

That victory prompted Arsenal’s former vice- chairman David Dein to stand on the steps of the directors’ box after the game and talk of a ‘power shift in English football’. As it turned out Wenger only won one more title and that, as much as anything, is why he will leave at the season’s end.

United once considered hiring him. Former chairman Martin Edwards told in his recent autobiography of a meeting with Wenger before Ferguson’s volte-face on his plans to retire in 2001. Wenger was coy when asked about that this week. ‘Yes I met Martin Edwards,’ he said. ‘Many people came to see me but I was always loyal to my club.’ As neutrals, we should be glad that nothing came of that. Had it, we would have been denied one of modern football’s great rivalries.

The relationship between Wenger and Ferguson (left) was toxic for a while, no matter what they may tell you now. Wenger thought his great rival carried too much weight and influence with the FA and the media, while Ferguson couldn’t stand the Frenchman’s erudite image. Ferguson took to patronising — unintentionally it must be said — Wenger as his rival’s star waned over the last decade but any tribute he leads at Old Trafford tomorrow will be heartfelt.

Jose Mourinho has also said the right things this week and yesterday even went so far as to admit that some of his verbal exchanges with Wenger over the years had overstepped the line.

Mourinho once dismissed Wenger as a ‘specialist in failure’ and said last night: ‘There are little things where it would be obviously better without them; some gestures, some words. I feel better now without it, no doubt about it.’

Wenger was no angel himself and does not claim to be. He could fight ugly when he felt it necessary and has always been the most terrible of losers.

‘I want to go out peacefully,’ he smiled when asked about Mourinho this week. ‘Don’t push me into a confrontation. He is a great manager.’

Part of Wenger will hate the fuss and the niceness that will greet him tomorrow as he takes the long walk from corner flag to dugout at Old Trafford. He would prefer to be feared.

But — like it or not — he has earned his parade. Other Arsenal managers will follow over the years but none will leave such a footprint.