Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes Manchester United counterpart Erik ten Hag is an excellent coach who deserves more time to get things right at Old Trafford.
United host the title-chasing Gunners on Sunday – the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season.
While Arteta retains hope of delivering a first league title to north London in 20 years, United face a fight to even qualify for Europe after a 4-0 thrashing at Crystal Palace on Monday night.
That result has seen pressure mount on United boss Ten Hag, but Arteta feels the Dutchman needs backing.
“I can only talk about what I think about him as a coach. He’s an excellent coach. I admire his teams, both Ajax and United,” Arteta replied when asked about Ten Hag’s position.
“I know what he’s trying to do, I know how he does it, I know how difficult it is to prepare against him, so I have huge respect for him.
“Hopefully, yes, he gets the time because we are colleagues and we know how difficult it is in this league and what the margins are and yeah, hopefully that’s the case because I think he is an excellent coach.
“If you want to win the Premier League and big trophies, you have to go to these grounds and impose yourself and beat them. That’s the journey we are on and that’s for sure what we are going to try to do on Sunday.”
This is the second successive season where Arsenal have harboured title hopes, having ultimately been usurped by Manchester City last year despite leading the way for much of the campaign.
But even victory at United and in their last game of the season at home to Everton does not guarantee a first Premier League crown since Arsene Wenger’s unbeaten Invincibles of 2004.
Arteta, though, has long held the belief that his team are good enough to end that run.
“I started to have that feeling last season, when we started to be very consistent and very ambitious,” he added.
“I could see that the standards weren’t dropping day by day. Obviously the moment that you start to add other pieces to the puzzle and players start to have more experience, start to keep improving, you build some momentum.
“Around the club as well there is that sense that we can do it, that we are good enough to do it. It has been a journey.
“We are close to being capable. With that trophy in our hands, we have done it. It has to be a reality. At the moment it is what we are chasing.”
