Rampant Reds impress Dixon

Ex-Arsenal right-back Lee Dixon is concerned that the Gunners may get left behind by an increasingly dominant United in the next few years.

As the two teams prepare to square up for the third time in as many weeks on Saturday lunchtime, Arsenal are still reeling from their Champions League semi-final demolition.

United require a point to secure a third consecutive title - in which time Arsenal have won nothing - and Match of the Day pundit Dixon fears that, although the Gunners could still knock the Reds off course this term, Sir Alex’s men are disappearing into the distance.

“This United team has got the old spirit and hunger,” he told United Review. “I'm fearful with the team they've got - they're a relatively young side, after all - that they're going to just get better and better.

“We’ve talked about the potential of this Arsenal side for a long time, but there comes a point when talent isn’t enough – you have to produce. If United or Liverpool were standing still, then Arsenal would be right up there, but everyone is getting better and Arsenal have been playing catch-up.”

But that won’t lull Sir Alex into a false sense of security. The United boss admits he isn’t “buying into” the talk about Arsenal and their supposed frailties. Dixon, however, does feel Arsenal are capable of beating anyone on their day.

“It's difficult to predict - you wouldn't have imagined Arsenal would have been 2-0 down inside 11 minutes in the Champions League, would you? But I did say a few weeks ago that if United were going to slip up then it might come against Arsenal. Maybe it will be 1-1.”