Manchester United legend Gary Pallister has hit out at Mikel Arteta for storming out of an interview after Arsenal drew 1-1 with the Red Devils on Sunday.
The Gunners are having a decent season in the Premier League but it looks like they will once again be runners-up at the end of the season.
Liverpool stretched their lead at the top of the Premier League to 15 points to second-placed Arsenal over the weekend after they beat Southampton and the Gunners were held by Man Utd.
It is a widely held view that Arsenal needed to sign a new centre-forward last summer and then in the January transfer window as they look to win tight matches.
They attempted to sign Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa in the winter but Arsenal and Arteta are now coming under scrutiny for failing to get a deal over the line for a new striker.
Following their 1-1 draw against Man Utd at Old Trafford on Sunday, Arteta attempted to leave his post-match interview with Sky Sports reporter Patrick Davison after being asked about his side’s shortcomings in the Premier League title race.
As the Arsenal attempted to dart away, Davison said: “Mikel, one more. I have to ask you about the title race because it’s 15 points now, is it too much?”
But Arteta stormed off after answering: “Alright, thank you.”
MORE ON ARSENAL FROM F365…
👉Ferdinand warns Man Utd, Arsenal against signing £59m Amorim favourite
👉Arsenal top scorers against Big Six: Only one player ahead of sensational Saka
👉 Arsenal vs PSV Eindhoven prediction, expected line-ups, how to watch and stats
And former Man Utd defender insists that Arteta showed his petulance in the incident and reckons the Arsenal boss is getting “fed up” about questions over their forward line.
Pallister told Spaceport Sweden: “The way Mikel Arteta stormed out of his post-match interview on Sunday was a bit petulant.
“I can understand why he’s not in the mood to be thrown in front of the cameras and asked similar questions every week – he’s getting fed up with being asked about Arsenal’s offensive depth and their lack of a goalscoring threat in games, but it’s still a reasonable question.
“I think Ivan Toney would’ve been a good fit for Arsenal, before he went to Saudi. Whether the Gunners were in a position to make a move for him or saw him as a good fit, I don’t know.
“It’s everyone else in the football world against Arteta at the moment, in thinking that they needed to bring in a centre-forward in January. I can understand his frustration, but it’s not a good look to be leaving interviews early.”
Bruno Fernandes scored a brilliant free-kick to break the deadlock against Arsenal before Declan Rice equalised, and Pallister reckons Gunners goalkeeper David Raya should have done better to stop the Man Utd opener.
Pallister added: “I don’t think it helps with the wall being 11.2 yards away – it definitely makes it easier for Bruno Fernandes to score. But David Raya seemed to show Bruno an awful lot of the goal.
“I’m no goalkeeper, but I looked at it and thought Raya was showing him too much. The goalkeeper does take a step before the ball is kicked, but he still doesn’t get close. The ball also didn’t finish in the top corner, so I think he’ll be looking at his positioning post-match.
“Take nothing away from the skill and execution from Bruno though, it was a great effort and ended up being a crucial goal for Man United.”