Arsene Wenger Calls to End Mourinho Feud Ahead of Final Old Trafford Visit
Arsene Wenger is ready to end his ongoing feud with Jose Mourinho as the outgoing Arsenal boss prepares for one last showdown with bitter rivals Manchester United.
The veteran manager will head to Old Trafford for the 28th and final time as Gunners gaffer on Sunday as he slowly brings an end to his 22-year reign in north London.
Speaking to the press (h/t the Mirror) ahead of one last bout with the old enemy, Wenger was quizzed about his relationship with Mourinho after some spectacular fall outs between the pair down the years.
Wenger and his counterpart have become embroiled in scuffles both on and off the pitch during the times in the Premier League, but the 68-year-old wanted to put all that water under the bridge as he eyed a peaceful end to his tenure with Arsenal.
He said: “Will I say goodbye to Mourinho? I will say goodbye to everybody! In France we say au revoir, which means we might see you again!"
“Will we be friends? It depends…I respect him a lot of course. You should give me a little bit of peace for my final weeks, don’t push me into a final confrontation. I want to go peacefully and Mourinho as well, he’s a great manager.”
Wenger has managed to see of United 19 times in 59 matches against the Red Devils, but has tasted plenty of defeats too against Mourinho, Louis van Gaal and legendary opponent Sir Alex Ferguson.
A few of those matches - the 8-2 demolition and 6-1 defeat spring to mind - have proven to be sorry affairs during Wenger's reign, but the Frenchman added that he realized just how good United were as he looked back on his time taking them on at their home ground.
He said: “Man Utd is a massive club with fantastic players. When I go back I realize what a great team they were. They had (Ryan) Giggs, (Paul) Scholes, (David) Beckham, (Cristiano) Ronaldo and (Wayne) Rooney together as young players.
“Then you see what they have done later and that shows the challenge. (Ruud) Van Nistelrooy and all these players together. They had an unbelievable team. I realize that better at a distance than at the time."
“I don’t know what kind of reception I will get. I will be focused on winning the game. There have been some great battles in 22 years. If I get a good reception I will take it.”
