Manchester United may be enduring a miserable season but Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta remains wary of their ability to rise to the occasion.

Arsenal host United in Sunday’s FA Cup third-round tie and, despite new boss Ruben Amorim still finding his feet at Old Trafford, the Portuguese managed a 2-1 win at Manchester City in December and a 2-2 draw at Liverpool last weekend.

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“Look at how they perform against the big teams and how they perform and the results they get,” Arteta said.

“I know him (Amorim) well, I followed him in Portugal and he is a big reason for where he is at the moment and he deserves to be there.

“Each manager is appointed for different reasons. Sometimes it has to transform a football club.”

Arteta has FA Cup memories

Arteta has had a transformative effect on Arsenal, returning them to the elite of English football, but the only trophy he has won as a manager at the Emirates is yet to translate into regular silverware with the 2020 FA Cup, though he claimed. Twice as a player.

The competition has undoubtedly lost some of its appeal but Arteta has fond memories of Arsenal’s successes, adding: “The memory of winning something and sharing it with people is the ultimate goal.”

Arsenal will be hoping to bounce back from a 2-0 defeat at home to Newcastle on Tuesday night in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final – a match in which they dominated for long periods without finishing any of their numerous chances.

Afterwards, Arteta partly blamed the ball for the setback, which is isolated in the EFL Cup, a comment that attracted plenty of attention.

Asked about it today, he said: “We adapt. In the Champions League, it is different. Each ball has a different, different flight. That’s not an excuse. Every pitch is different, the weather is different.