Arsenal legend Ian Wright has refused to back down on his claims that Manchester United will secure Champions League football at the expense of his former side.
The Red Devils currently occupy the fourth spot in the Premier League, but Arsenal are just two points behind Ralf Rangnick’s men in sixth place and have three games in hand.
West Ham are level on points with the Gunners (45) but have played as many games as United (27).
Arsenal have every chance of moving into fourth this weekend as they take on relegation-battling Watford whilst United take on table-topping rivals Manchester City.
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But despite the increased likelihood that the Gunners will leapfrog United soon, Wright has stood firm on his prediction that the Old Trafford outfit will be playing Champions League football next season.
Speaking about the reaction to his prediction on Ringer FC’s Wrighty’s House podcast, the former striker said: “Arsenal fans came for me. They weren’t cooking me, they were just kind of sizzling and warming the pan up,’ he explained on Ringer FC’s Wrighty’s House podcast.
“But the fact is that I said that I fancied Manchester United to come fourth because Manchester United have got the firepower to do it.
“‘I’m not going to put pressure on Arsenal and this young team who I said at the start of the season I would be delighted if they could get into the top six – and nothing has changed.
“I’m hearing ex-players and people saying ‘that’s where Arsenal should be’ and with everything that Arsenal have done since [Arsene] Wenger to this point, Mikel is the only one that has come in and actually got the ship back on course.
“He’s got a young team, they’ve done a lot of sorting out and I for one am not going to the person that’s there saying: ‘Arsenal should be fourth!’”
Since his appointment, Arteta has brought a fresh wave of talent through the ranks at the Emirates Stadium, but his recruitment has also been applaudable – spending £150million in the summer on young prospects that are flourishing in North London.
Aaron Ramsdale, Benjamin White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are amongst those new recruits who are improving with every match under Arteta.
Wright continued: “If Arsenal got fourth I would be ecstatic, but Arsenal are on the right path.
“That is why you will not hear me saying Arsenal are going to finish fourth and why I’d say Manchester United would.
“It’s not just because I don’t want to put pressure on, it’s that I genuinely believe Manchester United, at any stage, can click into gear because of the personnel that they have.
“With Arsenal, we couldn’t finish off Burnley, we dug in there and beat Wolves at the end. But Manchester United with the amount of chances they’re making, the fact they’ve got so many match-winners is why I said that and I’m not going to change that.”
On the surface, it is easy to see why Wright points to natural match-winners as the reason why United could put in a late charge.
Although all largely out of form, Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford are just three names who have picked up a game by the scruff of the neck and won it for United.
Those types of stars haven’t risen to the surface at Arsenal yet though with time it is inevitable that several of those young stars will have that match-winning quality.
