Man United’s Solskjaer: Arteta’s Arsenal hard to play against

MANCHESTER United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted that beating Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday evening will be a tough task.

The struggling giants clash in a Premier League fixture with Manchester United looking for their first home win in the competition this season after defeats to Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur, and a draw with Chelsea.

“I think they’re going to be a hard team to play against,” Solskjaer told the Manchester United website on Sunday. 

“Any Arsenal team is going to be fired up for a Man United game. We know that the game is not going to be won or lost in the first five or 10 minutes, it’s going to be another 90 minutes-plus contest.”

The Norwegian highlights how Arsenal have evolved under Mikel Arteta, making the Gunners even harder to beat.

“I’ve had so many battles against Arsenal and I know exactly how much they (these games) mean to the players and the fans so it will be a big one for us,” he added. 

“Under Arteta you’ve seen changes and you see development in them and it’s a great challenge and a test for us.

“Well I think every manager has their own style and of course he’s played football a lot and worked under Pep and probably took many of his principles from him so we’re looking forward to it.”

The former United striker is however pleased that he has a full squad to make his selection from.

He said: “Good. There was no injuries (from Wednesday) which is of course is a big plus when you think of every game we play and the intensity. We’re getting better and better, I feel everyone is seeing now that our fitness and sharpness is more up to speed and we should be ready for that game.

“The thing is it doesn’t matter who starts or who finishes the game, it’s the end result. That’s what we’re here for you. We’re here as a team and a group, there isn’t any individual that’s going to be in front of the team. Whoever starts knows that there will be three players coming on most likely. The subs are always ready and they had an impact this week and they might do again.”