Arsene Wenger revealed he and Sir Alex Ferguson have a positive relationship these days, a far cry to how the pair used to be before the ex-Manchester United manager’s retirement.

The former United boss was in attendance as Arsenal defeated Doncaster 1-0 in the Carabao Cup. The League 1 side are managed by Ferguson’s son, Darren, and Wenger saw the opportunity to invite his old rival to watch the game.

“I think he was a big personality in the Premier League of course, but I still meet him sometimes in the European meetings,” Wenger said, reports the Daily Star.

Wenger and Ferguson had a legendary rivalry during the late 90s and early 2000s, as Arsenal and United battled each other at the top of the Premier League.

Their exchanges in press conferences were often precursors to heated matches between the two sides that saw plenty of controversy and red cards. Such events would only fuel the rivalry even more.

However, as Arsenal fell away in the mid-to-late 2000s, I felt Wenger and Ferguson’s relationship became much more amicable.

The spats stopped, and the matches between the two clubs became less fiery and more tactical, especially as United had discovered the blueprint to beating Arsenal, it seemed to me.

The two now have a healthy respect for each other and still talk whenever there is a meeting of European managers.