Sir Alex Ferguson has stood by Arsene Wenger saying he doesn’t know who else would have done a better job than him at Arsenal given the circumstances.

For nine years Arsenal failed to win a trophy and for nine years Wenger took the flak.

Moving to the Emirates meant we just couldn’t compete financially with the powerhouses of Chelsea and Man City. We faltered, had to sell our best players and the best we could hope for was a decent cup run and top four finish.

“Arsene has taken a lot of flak,” Fergie said.

“But who is going to replace him? Who is going to make it better?

“It is a very difficult position for anyone who comes in after Arsene and has to change the philosophy he introduced, and kept, for all those years.”

Although now the times are a-changing and we’ve proven that we’re ready and able to spend with the signings of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, Wenger still comes under a lot of, mostly unnecessary, fire.

Fergie and Arsene were bitter rivals once upon a time but you wouldn’t know it now. Instead, all that remains is mutual respect and a lot of admiration.