“Leave our Arsenal players alone and face your Man Utd players “- Arsenal icon Thierry Henry angrily slams Man Utd legend Gary Neville for having a ‘hidden agenda’ against one Arsenal star who tried his best yesterday- “it’s really poor”

Henry slams Neville for having an ‘agenda’ against one Arsenal player: ‘It’s really poor’

Manchester United legend Gary Neville has been criticised by former Premier League midfielder Karl Henry over his comments about Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.

Arsenal beat Manchester City 1-0 on Sunday with Gabriel Martinelli’s deflected effort in the 86th minute ending the Gunners’ run of 12 consecutive top-flight defeats to Pep Guardiola’s side.

It helped Arsenal leapfrog Man City in the table to finish the weekend as joint leaders and while Guardiola insisted his champions are happy to chase again like they managed successfully last season, it felt like a potentially decisive early blow had been landed between these title rivals.

But not all Gunners players were praised against City with Neville criticising Raya with the former Man Utd defender insisting the Arsenal goalkeeper looked like a “nervous wreck” at times.

Raya recently dislodged Ramsdale as Arsenal number one with the Spaniard joining from Brentford in the summer transfer window to provide competition for the England stopper.

After City missed an early chance in the first half, Neville commented on Raya: “They (City) should have scored. The goalkeeper is all over the place in these first few minutes. He’s really shaky, Raya.

“He’s just a bit jittery, Raya. He’s not seeing things as clearly as Arsenal fans would like.”

In another incident later on, Raya dawdled on the ball before clearing the ball against City striker Julian Alavarez with a calamitous moment narrowly avoided as the ball just missed his own net.

Neville added: “I can spot a keeper a mile off that’s a nervous wreck and there’s one right in front of you. The mistake in midweek, he’s carried into this game. He’s not sharp enough and he’s very lucky.

“It’s quite obvious the goalkeeper is struggling but he’s still playing it short. They’re going to get punished if they’re not careful. When you can see he’s struggling as much as he is, just get it forward. Certainly keep it away from him.”

And former Wolves and Queens Park Rangers midfielder Henry thinks Neville has an “agenda” against Raya and described his commentary towards the Arsenal goalkeeper as “really poor”.

Henry wrote on social media: “Has Gary Neville got it in for Raya? Or is he just doing his best to get Ramsdale back in?

“When a commentator has an agenda, they influence millions of fans worldwide. It’s really poor.

“Ederson. Hits a diag and he’s saying Raya is rocky whilst Ederson is hitting 50-yard diags.

“Raya hit two better diags and he doesn’t say a thing. I’m no Arsenal fan and rate both Ramsdale and Raya highly. But Neville’s assassination of Raya is poor and unfair.

“Hope he realises how damaging to the player it can be and stops.”