‘I knew about Man United rivalry before joining’

Nacho Monreal has always been aware of our fierce rivalry with Manchester United – long before he joined the club back in 2013.

We meet the Red Devils for the third time this season on Sunday, and after a draw at Old Trafford and defeat in the Emirates FA Cup, we’ll be looking to get our revenge on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

 

Sitting just a point behind fourth-placed United, it’s sure to be a significant game in the race for Champions League football between two of England’s most historic clubs.

 

“Before coming here I knew about the history about both,” Monreal said. “I probably knew about the rivalry between them, but obviously I watched too many games about Arsenal and a lot of games about Manchester United, so I knew that both clubs were huge with a lot of fans around the world.

 

“They are probably two of the biggest clubs in the world and now I’m lucky to be here and play for Arsenal and enjoy the games we play against Manchester United at Old Trafford and Emirates. They are amazing games with an amazing atmosphere, so it’s really nice.

 

“We lost against them in a different competition, so they beat us in the FA Cup playing at home but now we are fighting for the Premier League and our target since the beginning of the season is to finish in the top four and play Champions League football next year.

 

“We have the opportunity to get our target and the first step is next Sunday. We play against them and we need to forget what happened in the FA Cup and we need to refocus in the next game and try to get the three points because if we do it we will be on a higher step to get to our target.

 

“There is still nine games to go and it’s going to be really tough until the end of the season - and we cannot forget that there is another club in Chelsea. At the moment there are three clubs fighting for one place, but obviously if we get the three points on the weekend it will be perfect for us.”