Arsenal expert Charles Watts has admitted that the “narrative is there to be written” for Chido Obi to make himself a Manchester United hero in Sunday’s Premier League clash.
The Red Devils host their London counterparts at Old Trafford in this weekend’s main event hoping to prevent the Gunners from becoming the first team to beat them five times in a row in the Premier League.
One player who will be particularly desperate to stop Arsenal from making history is 17-year-old striker Obi, whom Ruben Amorim suggested would be in contention to make his first senior start for the 20-time English champions against his old team.
Obi – who impressed in last weekend’s FA Cup loss to Manchester United – rejected the chance to sign a new deal with Arsenal last summer, but speaking to Sports Mole, Watts insisted that the teenager would be in contention to start for the Gunners right now given that Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz will not play again this season.
“He’d have a chance, you’ve got a midfielder starting games up front! If he was there and he was fit I don’t see why he wouldn’t be,” Watts said. “I thought he was OK against Fulham, he very much looked like a young, inexperienced striker.
“Ran around, put himself in good positions, but the end product wasn’t quite there, which you’d expect from a young player. The narrative is there to be written, I’m sure he’s going to be desperate to get out there on Sunday.
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“He’ll know there’ll be a lot of eyes on him, and one thing I have from my very limited knowledge of Chido during his time at Arsenal is that he loved the spotlight, he thrived in it.
“He’ll want to write his own headlines, but he’s coming up against William Saliba and Gabriel. That’s hard enough if you’re the best striker in the world, let alone if you’re s 17-year-old kid trying to make your mark. I’m sure he’ll be up for it, but whether he can actually do it against players of that quality remains to be seen.”
Obi did not take part in Man United’s 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad in the Europa League due to ineligibility, but the ex-Hale End product could threaten Rasmus Hojlund‘s place in the final third while the Dane struggles to impress at the tip of the Red Devils’ attack.
On the other hand, Arsenal banished their attacking fears in midweek with a 7-1 slaughter of PSV Eindhoven in their Champions League last-16 first leg, a stark contrast to their domestic goalscoring struggles.
The Gunners have failed to score in successive Premier League games with Nottingham Forest and West Ham United, all but killing off their slim title chances, and Mikel Arteta‘s men could face a Man United side operating in a low block as opposed to an incredibly open PSV team.
As a result, Watts is cautious about Arsenal’s chances of winning successive league games at Old Trafford for the first time since 1979, but he still believes that Arteta’s men have a brilliant chance against Amorim’s “shambles” of a team.
Asked if Arsenal were the favourites for Sunday’s game, he responded: “I’d say yes, if they had forwards. It is a good opportunity. United are a shambles most of the time, have been all season. But the thing with United, they’ve got the individuals to win games.
Watts: ‘Old Trafford is a horrible place for Arsenal’
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“Collectively, they’re a bit of a shambles. And I’m surprised that Amorim hasn’t got them to a stage where they’re stronger now than they are. I still think he’s a good manager, and I think long term, he will get he will turn things around at United. It’s just an incredibly tough job.
“It’s very similar to how Arteta arrived at Arsenal. I look at where United are now and where Arsenal were. I think there’s loads of striking similarities in terms of wage bill, big characters, players who need to go, get your own players in.
“I’ve never seen Arsenal win at Old Trafford. Every time I go, Arsenal lose. I didn’t go last season, they won, so I think it’s probably better for Arsenal if I don’t go! It’s just a horrible place to go as an Arsenal fan. After winning the league there in 2002, now you’re cursed for the rest of eternity.
“Some horrible viewing, some really big, high profile defeats. I don’t think that’ll happen this weekend. You just never know when Arsenal go to Old Trafford, but it’s definitely a big opportunity because United are not a team to fear by any means.”
A solitary Leandro Trossard strike saw Arsenal come up trumps at Old Trafford last season, since when they have beaten Man United 2-0 at the Emirates before losing to the Red Devils on penalties in the FA Cup third round.
Arteta has also been backed by a former Arsenal striker and Old Trafford goalscorer to write a new chapter of Premier League history at the Theatre of Dreams, where the Spaniard will take charge of his 200th top-flight game.
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