Gary Neville Advises Per Mertesacker Not to Be Exposed by Anthony Martial

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has offered some pre-match advice to Arsenal centre-back Per Mertesacker ahead of the Premier League clash between the two sides this weekend.

The Sky Sports pundit, writing in his newspaper column on Saturday, warned the German to avoid going one-on-one with Anthony Martial at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Neville also suggested that Mertesacker should have been focused on communication in training on Friday, working out how the Gunners will cope with the raw pace of the Red Devils attack.

He wrote in the Daily Telegraph:

"

If I’m Per Mertesacker this weekend, on the Friday morning before a Sunday game of this magnitude I would be thinking: I need to communicate to Hector Bellerín that Memphis Depay will always try to cut inside on to his right foot, and that I need to be there inside to help him, although I need Bellerín to show him the outside.

Is Bellerín thinking he has to stay tight to Memphis, and to pull Aaron Ramsey back towards him, so that I (Mertesacker) don’t get exposed by Anthony Martial in a channel one-on-one for pace?

"

Martial has enjoyed a great start to life at Old Trafford, scoring three goals in as many Premier League appearances. He'll look to add to that tally in north London.

[Daily Telegraph]