For the second time this season, Manchester United have made a managerial announcement ahead of facing Arsenal. Back in November - four days before the reverse fixture - Ralf Rangnick was officially appointed as interim manager until the end of the campaign as he took over from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Now with two old rivals locking horns at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon, the Red Devils confirmed on Thursday morning that Erik ten Hag has been appointed as their new first-team manager after reportedly triggering a clause in the Dutchman's contract with Ajax worth £1.6million
"Manchester United is delighted to announce the appointment of Erik ten Hag as Men's First Team Manager, subject to work visa requirements, from the end of this season until June 2025, with the option to extend for a further year," a statement via the club's official website reads.
READ MORE: Arsenal and Tottenham face £50m transfer problem following Erik ten Hag’s Man United arrival
Whilst ten Hag will not be in the United dugout at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday - as mentioned above, he officially begins his tenure at the end of the season - Mikel Arteta knows all too well how the announcement could make things even more trickier for his side.
Prior to the Gunners' visit to Old Trafford at the beginning of December, Rangnick had been appointed as United's interim manager but he didn't take charge of the side that night. Instead Michael Carrick - in his final act as caretaker boss before leaving the club altogether - presided over a 3-2 win.
United's form going into the game had improved, drawing at Chelsea and beating Villarreal in the Champions League, but having lost heavily at home to Liverpool and outclassed by Manchester City, there was a feeling that the Gunners could leave the 'Theatre of Dreams' with all three points for a second straight season.
Although perhaps spurred on by Rangnick watching on from the sidelines, it was a much-improved performance from the hosts as they came from a goal down to win 3-2 with Cristiano Ronaldo helping himself to a brace. As a result, the fear for Arsenal is that history repeats itself after United's latest managerial appointment.
Of course, the big difference is that this particular announcement has come towards the end of the season, but that could still be bad news for the Gunners as several members of the United first-team will be playing for their futures ahead of the summer transfer window knowing that Ten Hag will be keeping a close eye on events in north London.
Tuesday night's 4-0 loss away at Liverpool highlighted the scale of the task facing the Dutchman when he gets started at Man United. Even though his work doesn't officially begin for another month, he's likely to demand an immediate response from the players against Arsenal - and the reverse fixture between the two sides proves he can get one.
Therefore, an improved performance from United will not come as a surprise to the Gunners and it should help that they'll be much better prepared this time around. After injecting life to their top-four bid with a win over Chelsea, Arteta knows his side can't afford to slip-up at the weekend.
