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Topics: Football, Arsenal, Mikel Arteta, Gary Neville, Manchester United
Chris Byfield
Topics: Football, Arsenal, Mikel Arteta, Gary Neville, Manchester United
Manchester United legend Gary Neville aimed a light-hearted dig at an Arsenal fan account on Twitter.
Arsenal have been in electric form this term, to the surprise of several pundits and fans.
Mikel Arteta’s side are currently at the Premier League summit, some eight points clear of their nearest challengers Manchester City, albeit with a game in hand.
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Indeed, the Gunners have recorded 22 wins from their 28 matches and are on the cusp of claiming their first Premier League title in 19 years.
But last term things were different for the Spaniard, as Arsenal missed out on Champions League qualification to rivals Tottenham Hotspur by just two points.
Back then many, including former United captain Neville, doubted Arsenal’s credentials as title challengers.
Gunners fans have unearthed footage of Neville from March 2022, in which the former United defender claimed fourth place was the best Arteta could ever hope to achieve as Arsenal manager.
Arsenal fan page Gunnerscom wrote on Twitter: “One year ago today, Gary Neville said that if Mikel Arteta finished fourth with Arsenal, he’d have to leave as he wouldn’t be able to achieve anything more.”
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Neville cheekily replied: “One year ago you lot were asking for him to be sacked!!! Go and look at it!”
In the throwback clip, Neville said: "My concern is if Arsenal finish top four [last season] - which, to be fair, is 50/50, I still think there's a long way to go in that race - but if they finish fourth, that's in some ways as good as it gets.
"You've got Pep [Guardiola], [Jurgen] Klopp, Man United, Chelsea. Where can Arsenal go?
"They're not going to compete. Mikel Arteta is a brilliant coach. I love that we're seeing a team that he's getting the maximum out of. I can see exactly how he wants to play. We all can.
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"But he gets to fourth, and if he was really hard about it, he'd probably say, 'Right, that's the best I can do there, I'm going now and getting my next job'."