Journalist Charles Watts has claimed that it will be interesting to see how former Arsenal player Martin Keown reacts if he meets old adversary Ruud van Nistelrooy ‘pitch-side’ this week.
The Gunners host PSV Eindhoven in their Europa League group match on Thursday evening at the Emirates as they look to continue their 100 per cent winning start in the competition so far.
The Dutch side are managed by former Manchester United striker, Van Nistelrooy, while ex-Arsenal defender Keown may well be at the game as a pundit for BT Sport.
With that in mind, while speaking on his YouTube channel, Watts has mooted some possible drama should the two meet on the Emirates turf on the night.
Indeed, he said: “PSV are no mugs by any means. I mean you look at how they’ve started the Dutch division – I think they are only one point behind Ajax in second. They’ve played 10, won eight; very similar to Arsenal’s record at the start of the season. They’ve scored 35 goals, so they score a lot of goals.
“PSV, of course, managed by Ruud van Nistelrooy, so you’re going to have that whole sort of narrative rumbling on as well. Which will be very interesting with Martin Keown standing pitch-side doing stuff for BT Sport.”
TIF thoughts on Martin Keown, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Arsenal…
Keown played for Arsenal for a number of years, winning numerous trophies – such as the FA Cup and the Premier League – during his 428-game spell with the club.
Will Arsenal go all the way in Europe this season?
Yes
No
However, he may well be best remembered for his over-the-top, in-your-face reaction to Van Nistelrooy when the Dutchman missed a key penalty during a league game between the Gunners and United back in 2003.
With that past animosity between the two, it really will be interesting if the two come face to face on Thursday evening. Perhaps the pair would have calmed as the years have passed, or perhaps the rivalry will be as fierce as ever. That wouldn’t be a shock either, seeing as Keown said last year (via TalkSPORT) that he doesn’t regret it and maintained the Manchester United man was to blame.