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Ian Wright has insisted that he sticks to his earlier prediction that Manchester United will edge Arsenal in the race for Champions League qualification.
The Gunners legend believes that the Red Devils have the 'firepower’ and ‘match-winners’ needed to finish in the top four ahead of his beloved former club.
Arsenal sit sixth in the table at the moment but have three games in hand over Manchester United and West Ham United, who are placed fourth and fifth respectively.
Mikel Arteta's side face a trip to struggling Watford this weekend and will be high on confidence having won three Premier League games on the spin.
While Wright is happy with the character shown by the north London club, he believes that the youthful Gunners side will be trumped by the Red Devils.
"Arsenal fans came for me. They weren’t cooking me, they were just kind of sizzling and warming the pan up," Wright stated on Ringer FC’s Wrighty’s House podcast as quoted by Metro.
"But the fact is that I said that I fancied Manchester United to come fourth because Manchester United have got the firepower to do it.
"I'm not going to put pressure on Arsenal and this young team who I said at the start of the season I would be delighted if they could get into the top six – and nothing has changed."
Wright added:
"I'm hearing ex-players and people saying 'that's where Arsenal should be' and with everything that Arsenal have done since [Arsene] Wenger to this point, Mikel is the only one that has come in and actually got the ship back on course.
"He's got a young team, they've done a lot of sorting out and I for one am not going to the person that’s there saying: 'Arsenal should be fourth!'"
The 58-year-old has claimed that he would be delighted if Arteta's side can prove him wrong and salvage the fourth spot.
He believes that Ralf Rangnick has the kind of personnel in his dressing room who can deliver under pressure and ensure a Champions League spot.
"If Arsenal got fourth I would be ecstatic, but Arsenal are on the right path. That is why you will not hear me saying Arsenal are going to finish fourth and why I'd say Manchester United would.
"It's not just because I don't want to put pressure on, it's that I genuinely believe Manchester United, at any stage, can click into gear because of the personnel that they have.
"With Arsenal, we couldn’t finish off Burnley, we dug in there and beat Wolves at the end. But Manchester United with the amount of chances they're making, the fact they've got so many match-winners is why I said that and I'm not going to change that."
Manchester United and Arsenal are not just the two challengers for the fourth spot
It is pretty much certain that the title race involves only Manchester City and Liverpool, while Chelsea should comfortably secure the third spot.
However, the fourth Champions League spot is up for grabs and as many as five teams are battling for it.
West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and Wolves are all in the fray for the fourth spot.
