UNITED FANS EAGER TO FIND OUT HOW THEIR ASSISTANT MANAGER WILL PERFORM IN HIS LAST EVER MATCH

 By: Brenden Buttenmuller

                                    Photo credit: The Athletic 

Manchester United are in a must win situation after their 1-1 draw with Chelsea last week. United fans are extremely optimistic to see how their assistant manager will deal with Arsenal's pressure Thursday night at Old Trafford. 

Cristiano Ronaldo is going to be looking for a comeback after being benched in the first half against Chelsea and Harry Maguire will be coming back from a one match suspension, looking to motivate his team to overcome a strong, in-form Arsenal side. Mason Greenwood has recovered from Covid-19 and is expected to start alongside Ronaldo as well. As for Arsenal, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Pepe are expected to be in the starting lineup and give Arsenal the pace they need. Both Maguire and United's defense will need to be on alert all match. An excellent Aaron Ramsdale will start in goal for Arsenal and will look to gain another shutout.

A press conference was held on Wednesday and United fans were met with a lackluster five minute press conference with minimal information on Ronaldo, Fred, and how he is dealing with all the pressure. When asked about how he is doing with the temporary job, he replied, “I've obviously learned an awful lot over the last week. I've learnt on the job, if you like, but as a back-up I've seen what goes on close hand over recent years.” Carrick also made some remarks on Ronaldo and told us that the decision to bench Cristiano was “overlooked.” The last question asked was about how midfielder, Fred, could help the team, “I really like him. For me, one of the biggest things people don’t see is his attitude and his desire to be a team player and he’s desperate to put himself out there in the big games.” 

Carrick has been an assistant for some while, about four years now. He is a man of tradition, and seems to be scared of trying new things with a brand new talented team. Carrick said that he and Ole (previous manager) have very similar playing styles. This is his last game in charge before the new manager takes over, so we shouldn't be surprised if he pulls a sneaky strategy out of the hat.

Arsenal was at the bottom of the table the whole month of August. Now, they are top five and a team to fear. Arsenal has it all, an experienced midfield, a pacey striker, and a potential goalkeeper of the year on their side. 

United have not beaten Arsenal in three matchups. United will be looking to change that tonight as they add Ronaldo to their side this time around.

This rivalry took launch in the 1990s - 2000s when these two teams were constantly closing for an FA cup. It was always a great watch when Arsène Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson would put their magisterial tactics to the test against each other. I have no doubt that we will get another classic. This match, surely, will be for the history books.

Manchester United holds a record of 7-3-5, Arsenal holds a record of 7-2-6