Michael Carrick has held his pre-match press conference ahead of tonight’s Premier League clash between Manchester United and Arsenal.
When asked about Mikel Arteta, the 40-year-old had some kinds words to say about the Spaniard.
What’s the story?
Well, it seems Carrick rates Arteta very highly as a coach.
As quoted by Manchester United’s official website, he said: “He was a terrific player, very technical, and that’s the way his teams plays and obviously the way he has coached them in that style shows what type of player he was.
“I think he’s done a very good job at Arsenal and you can see they’re going in a certain direction and been pretty strong with that. So credit to him for that and it’ll be interesting to see how they get on for the rest of the season.”
It’s nice to see Carrick shower the Gunners boss in praise, as he’s had a seriously tough start to his managerial career.
Arteta has had to navigate the north Londoners through a stressful period, in which the mess left behind by Unai Emery needed to be cleared.
Now, the £96,153-a-week man has Arsenal sat fifth in the Premier League with seven wins from 13 games.
That is very impressive, considering the Gunners lost their first three Premier League games this season.
Manchester United can learn from Arsenal
Some Manchester United fans might scoff at that statement, but it’s the truth – in regards to recruitment, at least.
The Red Devils continue to adopt a scattergun approach in the market, signing big names without any plans for how they may fit into the side.
In Arteta’s case, he has made some stellar additions to add balance to his team, and now, the Gunners look like a fluid outfit.
The likes of Aaron Ramsdale, Gabriel Magalhães and Ben White have been transformative signings at the back, while Kieran Tierney and Nuno Tavares were also smart moves.
Furthermore, the signing of Thomas Partey helped to add some steel to Arsenal’s midfield – Takehiro Tomiyasu has also been a revelation at right-back.
If Manchester United can learn one thing from Arsenal, it’s that signing the biggest names isn’t always the smartest option.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
