Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker has revealed his excitement for tonight’s crunch game with Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium tonight.
Earlier on in the season, the German international missed the trip to Old Trafford due to illness and he watched on from the sidelines as his side slipped to a 1-0 defeat thanks to a Robin Van Persie header.
Speaking to the club’s official matchday programme, Mertesacker admitted this was the fixture he always looked forward too when he was a youngster.
“I always supported Arsenal [when I was growing up] and my brother Man United, because 10 or 15 years ago they were always the rivals for first place,” Mertesacker told the official matchday programme.
“Is my brother still a Man United fan? I think he stopped after I went to Arsenal! Maybe in his memories he knows he once supported Man United because he’s got a shirt from that era. But it’s a special game in my memory and it’s still the same now.
“You see these pictures [of previous games against United] at the training ground every day! So you realise and you know how important that was and still is.
“United have a strong squad and when everyone’s fit it’s a really good team. I will never write them off. It’s always a special game between Arsenal and Man United.”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles
