Manchester United take on Real Sociedad in the first leg of their round of 16 Europa League tie on Thursday before hosting Arsenal on Sunday
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Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim is enduring a tough time in the Old Trafford hotseat
(Image: Getty Images)
Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson believes the Gunners' astonishing 7-1 victory over PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League spells bad news for Manchester United ahead of their clash on Sunday in the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta's side shocked Europe on Tuesday night as they dismantled a PSV team who sit comfortably second in the Eredivisie.
Having been struggling for goals in recent weeks, six different goal scorers were on the scoresheet as the Dutch side were put to the sword.
Such an advantage should be enough for Arsenal to play a highly rotated side next Wednesday in the return fixture.
That means their full attention will be on the clash with United at the weekend which Merson believes should be a concern for Ruben Amorim.
He told Sky Sports News: "I couldn’t see them scoring seven goals before the end of the season if I am being honest. "What I saw last night just shows you the gulf in our league.
"Our league is an amazing league, it is the strongest league by far on a consistent basis. They were outstanding yesterday, they played with a lot of confidence.
"That will only give them confidence [going into the weekend], I can only say it is bad news for Man United on Sunday, if I am being honest, because they are going to Manchester United with the shackles off.
"They have not got to worry about next Wednesday, I know Man United have not played yet, but I will be shocked if they are not bothered about the following Thursday."
As Merson alludes to, United must first travel to San Sebastian to face Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Europa League round of 16 tie. The Reds are looking to bounce back after being eliminated from the FA Cup at the weekend.