Saturday, April 28, 2018

Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger Wants Peaceful Exit As He Faces Mourinho On Sunday


Manager Arsene Wenger says he wants the final month of his 22-year tenure to "go peacefully".

The 68-year-old Frenchman announced last week that he will leave the Gunners in the summer.

Arsenal face long-time rivals Manchester United in a Premier League match at Old Trafford on Sunday.

"You should leave me and give me a little peace for my final weeks and not try to push me into final confrontations," said Wenger.

United manager Jose Mourinho said on Friday that he had regrets about "episodes and words" involving the Arsenal boss, whom he believes may feel the same.

Mourinho has previously described Wenger as "a voyeur" and a "specialist in failure".

Wenger said: "I respect him of course, I respect him a lot. And I don't want to go into individuals. I want to go peaceful and with Mourinho as well because he is a great manager."

The Frenchman, though, is not convinced he will be warmly welcomed in Manchester.

"I always got a great reception at Old Trafford," he joked.

"I don't know what kind of reception I will get but we will be focused on winning the game. We always had some great battles in 22 years."