London, Dec 3 (IANS) Ruben Amorim will be facing his first heavyweight clash as Manchester United manager as the Red Devils will be taking on Arsenal on Thursday (IST). After joining the Manchester-based side in November, the team has played three games under the new head coach and picked up two wins including the 4-0 victory against Everton on Sunday. Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta praised the Portuguese head coach and claimed the clash against Manchester United will be a ‘beautiful’ one.
“You can see his fingerprints already in how he wants to play. He has been very clear and very successful with Sporting. And the way he was playing. He has brought new energy, but we will focus on ourselves. We are on a good run and have good momentum again, it will be a big and beautiful match against Manchester United,” said Mikel Arteta.
With skipper Martin Odegaard now back with the side, Arsenal are back in form ever since the conclusion of the November international break. With a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest, a 5-1 win against Sporting CP and a 5-2 win against West Ham on Saturday, the Gunners are now second in the Premier League, nine points behind league leaders Liverpool.
One of the main catalysts behind Arsenal’s resurgence has been Bukayo Saka as the right winger has been in exceptional form this season.
The 23-year-old is leading the league with 10 assists to his name and has five goals to add to the tally. Arteta praised the young forward claiming Saka has improved with every season. “In terms of the numbers, yes. We see a shift from Bukayo every single year. He’s more and more consistent. He can only improve and only get better. He wants more.
Arteta even went on to address the comparisons that have been made between the English winger and a young Cristiano Ronaldo. “Probably the way Cristiano started his career, no one expected in his first few years that he could do that. To play in a team that has that capacity to dominate is important as well,” he added.
–IANS
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