Gary Neville interview: Why Arsenal fans should lay off Arsene Wenger

Frustrated Arsenal fans may feel manager Arsene Wenger is drinking in the last-chance saloon but old foe Gary Neville insists they should be careful what they wish for.

The now-retired former Manchester United captain knows all about the Frenchman’s contribution to the Gunners, having battled Wenger’s North London side for 15 years.

And Neville believes the Frenchman ranks behind only United's Sir Alex Ferguson in the list of the Premier League’s greatest-ever managers.

"Arsene has been there for so long, producing really top players," said Neville. “He has worked hard and some of their football during his time has been fantastic.

“When we [Manchester United] played against Arsenal, we accepted that we were playing against a team that, for 20 years, have been brilliant at passing a football and interchanging.

“He is definitely second to Alex Ferguson in terms of his achievements. I think [former Chelsea boss] Jose Mourinho is the third of those stand-out managers who have made teams into champions and continually been successful at their clubs.

“Arsenal are a huge football club with massive expectations and you don’t stay there like Arsene has without being an outstanding manager. He is one of the very best.

"Arsene Wenger is still doing an excellent job. He is still in the job because of the level of respect there for him, and the way he gets the best out of young players."

Of late, Wenger’s standing among Arsenal fans has dipped, with the hard-core upset at his unwillingness to bow to their calls for battle-hardened signings.

Some supporters have even called for Wenger to go, while others believe the pressure is on the former Monaco chief’s transfer dealings now that the Gunners’ traditional top four place is at risk.

The stakes have been further raised by the impending departures of Samir Nasri to Manchester City and Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona.

But Neville, the latest addition to Sky Sports’ stable of pundits, believes Arsenal fans need to hold their nerve and back their manager.

He went on: “Fans at every club are impatient. Arsenal need trophies - that will always be the way - but it would be the wrong thing to even think about losing Arsene Wenger.

“I’m not one of those people who would jump on the bandwagon. I’ve seen Arsene Wenger go head-to-head with Manchester United over 15 years.

“Never underestimate or disrespect what that man can achieve with players and his scouting network.

“I genuinely believe that before he loses Fabregas and Nasri he will have others players lined up to come in, like he has done for the last 10 or 15 years.

“Arsenal have been our [United's] major rivals for the past 15 years.

"They are the ones that have gone through seasons unbeaten.

“They are the ones that produced the best team I played against - in 1998, with Bergkamp, Anelka, Petit, Vieira, Overmars, Parlour and that famous back five. That was as good a team as I’ve played against in England.

"I think people are too quick to jump on the bandwagon and think he [Wenger] should come under pressure.

“He’s been immensely successful for a long period. I think anyone managing Arsenal in the last five or six years would not have achieved what Arsene Wenger has achieved.

“He has been getting into the Champions League places every year and still playing quality football - entertaining the fans.

“They have invested hugely in their stadium and not been able to spend £30m, £40m, £50m or £60m year in and year out on the squad.

“I don’t believe that he [Wenger] should be under pressure.

"If you look at Arsenal, they are not a knee-jerk-reaction club. They believe in the long-term."


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