Is there an update on Zinchenko, Odegaard and Ramsdale?
Those two they’ve been assessed. We will see more tomorrow. Hopefully they’ll be available to train with the team. Unfortunately with Alex, he’s missed two games and still hasn’t been able to train with the team yet.
Disappointed that you didn’t get a midfielder over the line?
We had a lot of things still to do in the squad. You see the amount of departures compared to the recruitment and again the club has done a phenomenal job and put everything on the table to try to bring in players and profile that we wanted. We did the business pretty early, but unfortunately in the last 72 hours Thomas [Partey] got injured in the same place as last time and then Mo[hamed Elneny] has a long-term injury and we had to react in the market. We tried and at the end of the day we have to bring in the players we feel are right for the team and the club, but we didn’t manage to do that.
Does the squad have enough depth for Premier League and Europa League?
It’s the team that we have and for me it’s the best players and the best squad available. There’s nothing else we can do. We have an academy as well that we can use and we have to utilise the players in the best possible way.
READ MORE: Oleksandr Zinchenko fails to train as Arsenal give update on Martin Odegaard ahead of Man United
What are your memories of Man Utd vs Arsenal?
They started a little bit when I was younger, watching that rivalry and watching those special games between the two teams. Obviously the games as a player, winning, are a beautiful feeling. It’s a magnificent stadium to go there and be us again as a team.
Do you think the fixture still has the same edge?
I think there’s been moments where the history and the media talking about a special rivalry between certain players build certain momentum into this. I think in England it doesn’t get much better than that.
Are you impressed by how quickly ten Haag seems to have turned things around?
When you look at the squad that they have, the amount of money that they have and what they’ve done in the market, I’m not surprised. They’re going to win a lot of football matches. Manchester United’s history tells you that this is going to happen. It’s another big rival and we have to compete with them.
What was your take on the way things played out on deadline day?
We pushed to strengthen the team and bring the best possible people and players into the football club. We have managed that to a certain level, but then we have our limitations. Time was a big limitation with what happened in the last 72 hours in our midfield. We tried to act but we didn’t find the right player.
How important was it not to panic and just sign anyone?
I think we have learned a lot from that. Look at still the players we have to get out. We have to only bring top talent through that door and be very disciplined because in those moments you can make mistakes that can cost the club and the team a lot, not in the near future but maybe a little bit ahead. We want to avoid that as much as possible.
How do you assess the options you have in midfield?
Believe more in the players that we have, look after them better and give them confidence. They have the ability to do it and that’s what we’ll do.
Is Old Trafford the biggest test of the season?
The test is every single week. Every opponent you play, you see it in every game that has been played this week apart from one or two and I don’t expect anything different there.
What do you make of Auba’s return to the Premier League?
I’m sure he’s made the decision because he wants to change again and find the best possible move for his future. We wish him the best of luck.
Will Zinchenko be in the squad on Sunday?
After missing two games and not being able to train with the team yet, unfortunately that’s the situation that we have.
Is this squad more capable of losing significant players this summer?
I hope we do. I hope we can still play really well with many other players. Just to put a finger on something for why we lose a football match is not something I do to analyse a performance.
Do you think because you did your business early, Arsenal won’t have as many deadline day moves in the future?
No because yesterday we could have done something if it was the right player, right deal and something we could afford - because sometimes you have to react - yesterday that was a real possibility. We tried but then we kept the discipline to say it had to be the right player for the club.
What was your final conversation with Bellerin like?
He called me really late last night and that was more a conversation like the ones we used to have when we were team mates and really good friends. Take the coaching and the player situation away and get back into that relationship as well. I love the kid. I love what he has done for the club. He’s someone that I really have strong feelings about. I wish him [well] because I know it’s one of his dreams to play there, hopefully he can fulfil his dreams and get back his career where he can. He’s still very young and has a lot to give.
Big sides go and win at Old Trafford, what would it do for the morale of the team to do that?
It’s not something new. We’ve done it. We have to do it again and we have to believe from yesterday, straight after the game, that we are capable of going there, playing our way and winning the match.
What’s the timeframe on Elneny and Partey?
With Mo it’s a little bit easier, we are talking months. With Thomas hopefully we are talking weeks or even shorter than that.
What are you doing to help Partey with injuries?
We have tried to manage him. A lot has happened since he joined, we are trying the best possible ways to find the reasons why that happened. Unfortunately the body and the mind are too difficult sometimes to understand and put a finger on a single thing to prevent something from happening. The attitude of the player is there. He’s really disappointed, as you can imagine, and the team needs him.
Bellerin is the sixth player to leave for nothing — how important is it you start getting fees for these players?
I always say that the market doesn’t lie. When a player comes and says “I have to do this” and “I am here and I am there” it’s very simple. Go on the market and the other teams and coaches are going to tell you how good you are, what your value is, what you’ve done. We have tried to obviously get everything we can get done. Sometimes you have to get the right balance. Hopefully we’re going to be in a very different position very soon.
Do you feel proud that the process appears to be developing and going forward?
Especially with the feeling and the energy around the club, the way the team is performing as well. At the end of the day the icing on the cake is winning football matches and the reason why we are here. We have to continue to do that, keep the energy levels right, maintain the belief and enthusiasm that we have and keep playing well.
How does it feel to do it with such a young squad?
Very fulfilling, because when you review how much a player has come on compared to a year ago, sometimes you cannot believe how much they’ve grown. When you have a huge talent, personality and people who love what they do, normally those things happen.
Do you feel the inferiority complex at Old Trafford is no longer an issue?
I don’t think so. We have gone through not winning at Stamford Bridge for however many years and this and that. You have to believe that you will go there and play the way you want to play and win the football match.
How close were you to signing Lisandro Martinez?
I will talk about the players that we have here.
Were you surprised by the criticism he’s received?
I think every player gets criticism. Sometimes positive, sometimes negative.
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