Manchester United vs Arsenal: Wenger speaks on reception at Old Trafford

Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, has thanked Manchester United for a “very classy” reception on his last visit to Old Trafford, as Alex Ferguson presented him with a gift before Sunday’s 2-1 loss.

Wenger was greeted by a big ovation from the home fans and was then handed a metal vase in a box by Ferguson before kick-off.

“I am thankful to Manchester United because they gave a nice gesture before the game. It was very classy from them.

“It’s the first time I get a trophy before the game, that’s new. [The reception from fans] shows you that once you are not a danger anymore, people love you,” Wenger told reporters after the game.

Wenger also spoke on Konstantinos Mavropanos who made his debut and 20-year-old Ainsley Maitland-Niles who was named man of the match.

“Maitland-Niles slowly gets to the player I think he can be in defensive midfield. He can create as well.

“Mavropanos in training has shown top quality. But then you always have a question mark as long as you don’t see that under pressure in big games.

“Can he show that in a big game? You never know. The big players do better in competition than in training. They make a career. We have many players at our level who do less well in the competition than in training. So that was the question mark before the game and I think he did well. He surprised everyone by his quality today. My successor will watch this game today.

“Hopefully, he will come to positive conclusions of the players. Can they be part of the future for Arsenal football club? I think some of them have shown today yes, 100 percent.”