Former Arsenal Star Robert Pires Reckons Coveted Monaco Midfielder Will Join Man Utd in January

Former Arsenal winger Robert Pires believes Monaco midfield dynamo Fabinho will join Manchester United in January.

The 24-year-old is highly sought-after following an amazing season in Ligue 1 in 2016/17, and was expected to make a big money move away from the club over the summer.

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The Brazilian remained with the reigning champions, where Kylian Mbappe, Bernardo Silva, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Benjamin Mendy all left.

It was a surprise given how high his stock had risen, but it could only be a matter of time before Fabinho follows in his former teammates' footsteps - something Pires thinks will happen.

The Frenchman reckons Manchester United will come back in for the versatile star after being linked with him for most of the summer before signing Nemanja Matic.

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He told Bwin, as quoted by the Mirror: "I think this [possible move to United] could happen in January, or next summer. Manchester City could also be interested but they’ve got Fernandinho at the moment, who is playing very well."

There were no comments from Pires about the possibility of his former club coming in for the star - perhaps because he acknowledges the Gunners' lack of pull for coveted players following their failure to qualify for this season's Champions League.

The Arsenal faithful have expressed concern over Granit Xhaka's potential to play as a holding midfield player this season, and have arguably been lacking steel their since the days of Patrick Vieira.