Arsenal promise guard of honour

ARSENE Wenger says there was never a possibility of Arsenal refusing to hold a guard of honour for new Barclays Premier League champions Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium tomorrow afternoon.

Former Arsenal captain Robin van Persie can expect a hot reception in north London, where passions still run high among some supporters over the manner in which the Dutch forward left last summer in a £24 million move. There have been suggestions those disgruntled fans will turn their backs in protest when the teams come out from the tunnel.

Wenger, though, insisted the club were right to follow tradition. United performed a guard of honour themselves in 2005 for Chelsea, who then returned the gesture two years later. United also honoured Arsenal when they visited Highbury back in 1991.

“When you work somewhere abroad, you have to respect the culture of the country. That is part of the tradition of English football and I want that to be respected,” said Wenger, who added that he hoped Van Persie’s return would not overshadow his side’s attempts to secure a top-four finish.

“We respect Robin van Persie like every other player who has left us and came back to the Emirates,” he said. “I want the player to be respected like everybody else.”

Also tomorrow, relegation candidates Queens Park Rangers and Reading face each other at the Madejski Stadium. Mathematically, both QPR’s and Reading’s fate will be sealed if they lose but with only four games of the season left, both clubs already look doomed.

“We’ve just not got enough [points]. It has been a badly unbalanced squad,” said QPR manager Harry Redknapp.