Wayne Rooney is bang on the money: Man Utd’s 2008 all-stars WOULD ‘batter’ Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal

David Raya is undoubtedly Arsenal's most reliable No.1 since Petr Cech, and is on course to win his third successive Golden Glove this term, having only conceded 14 Premier League goals to date. The Spaniard is a fine sweeper-keeper with excellent reflexes and distribution skills, which have made him essential to the Gunners' build-up play.

There is one thing missing, though: the ability to dominate his penalty area. In stark contrast, that was always Edwin van der Sar's biggest strength. The towering Dutchman oozed natural authority and plucked set-pieces out of the air at will, essentially blocking off that route to goal for opponents. 

He was also equal to Raya in every other department, if not better. He filled the goal and pulled off countless vital saves in the 2007-08 season, the most famous coming in the Champions League final shootout against Chelsea, where he expertly pushed away Nicolas Anelka's penalty to clinch the trophy for United.

All that being said, getting a clear sight of Raya's goal is no easy task. Arsenal have kept 18 clean sheets already this season, which is mainly down to the dominance of centre-back duo Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba. Both men are quick, powerful and composed on the ball, and they have built up a telepathic understanding that makes them a match for any attacking unit.

Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic had a similar relationship, and fireworks would be guaranteed up against Gabriel and Saliba. In dead-ball situations, any battle between Vidic and Gabriel would have been particularly fascinating because they are both willing to put their bodies on the line. If anyone could stop Gabriel from exerting his usual influence in the opponent's box, it's Vidic, while Ferdinand had no equal when it came to positioning. 

The Gunners might have been able to crowd out Van der Sar on occasion, but Vidic and Ferdinand would have been ready to step in and blunt their set-piece threat. That was also an area of expertise for the 2007-08 United, who scored more goals from corners than any other Premier League team that season (15).

Arsenal would have had to deal with the menace that is Patrice Evra at the other end, too. The overlapping left-back was essential to United's rapid counter-attacks and often made the difference in the tightest games. Jurrien Timber is just as quick and technically slick, but doesn't yet have the same end product. It's difficult to imagine Bukayo Saka and Timber keeping track of Evra in full flow, while he was also one of several high-energy, aggressive players in the United ranks who made sure they were rarely caught on the break themselves, alongside the likes of Wes Brown, Darren Fletcher and Park Ji-Sung.

Arteta has favoured a 4-3-3 setup this season with Martin Odegaard, summer signing Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice as his first-choice midfielders. The dynamic trio have done a stellar job, with Odegaard serving as chief playmaker, Zubimendi controlling the tempo, and Rice breaking up the play, but United had the tools to overpower them.

United typically lined up in a 4-4-2 shape, with immense positional fluidity. Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes often occupied the holding roles in the biggest games, and United would frequently adopt a 4-5-1 formation to defend, ensuring they were never outnumbered in the middle of the park. 

Carrick and Scholes would have been equally capable of outmuscling Rice, cutting out the supply to Odegaard, and restricting Zubimendi's time on the ball, depending on which role Ferguson prioritised, and as two of the greatest passers the Premier League has ever seen, had the quality to play through the Arsenal press.

Ferguson needed to rotate the 34-year-old Scholes to keep his legs fresh, but United had plenty of cover, with Fletcher, Owen Hargreaves and Anderson all accomplished ball-winners in their own right.

Arteta has transformed Arsenal into a very compact team and they work relentlessly to force opponents wide, which is the main reason they have looked so solid. But the '07-08 Red Devils possessed the perfect blend of invention and tenacity to disrupt the Gunners' game plan.

Arteta is blessed with plenty of attacking riches, but his latest iteration of Arsenal is more functional than free-flowing. That is partly the reason Viktor Gyokeres has struggled since his switch from Sporting CP, with many of his intelligent runs in behind being ignored, while goal and assist numbers for long-time servants such as Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are significantly down on previous years.

The Gunners look for the marginal gains to win matches instead of letting loose, likely because Arteta is conscious of the fact that they came out second-best to Manchester City and Liverpool when trying to play a more expansive brand of football. United were never burdened by that kind of self-doubt.

Ferguson's full-throttle philosophy made the Red Devils the most feared team in the country. He got the maximum from an expensively-assembled strike force consisting of Rooney, Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo. Such was that triumvirate's ruthlessness in the final third, Louis Saha, a top Premier League marksman who would have been a nailed starter for most other sides, barely got a look-in.

Tevez would usually lead the line, and was a nightmare for defenders with his constant harrying and instinctive finishing. Rooney dropped deeper in a free role that allowed him to show off the full breadth of his creative talents, and Ronaldo redefined the wing position as United's primary goal-scorer, registering a staggering 42 in all competitions.

Ferguson could also still call upon a veteran Ryan Giggs, who had adapted his game brilliantly to step into the centre of midfield, and Ronaldo's enigmatic Portuguese compatriot Nani, another with a penchant for match-winning moments of genius.

United were absolutely electric on the transition and could hurt teams in a variety of different ways, with Arsene Wenger's Arsenal among those to bend to their will. They played out a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Emirates in the league, but Ferguson's men won the reverse fixture 2-1 at Old Trafford, and thrashed the Gunners 4-0 in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

That all being said, Arteta is working with a deeper squad. Arsenal have at least two elite players in every position and thus have the capacity to cope with injuries better than any other side in Europe.

Indeed, Odegaard, Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz and Christian Norgaard were all unused substitutes against Inter on Wednesday, while Rice, Gabriel, Martinelli, Gyokeres and Ben White came on after the hour mark. Arteta's second-choice XI wouldn't be far off his first in terms of overall quality.

Ferguson didn't have that luxury, but that didn't matter because of how clever he was with his team selection. In the top two-thirds of the pitch, he used variations of a core group consisting of Tevez, Rooney, Ronaldo, Giggs, Scholes, Anderson, and Hargreaves. Only the backline stayed evergreen, for the most part, completed by Brown.

The majority of United's star performers received regular breathers, and when numbers were light, Nani, Fletcher, John O'Shea, Park, Saha and Gerard Pique could come in. Like Arsenal now, there was no obvious weak link at any stage of the season. Arteta thus wouldn't have been able to get an edge on Ferguson with any in-game changes.

Arteta facing up to Ferguson on the touchline is a complete mismatch, full stop. Ferguson was 21 years into his glorious reign at Old Trafford in 2008, and had perfected the art of churning out positive results season in, season out. He'd also built the third truly great squad of his time at the club, putting United back on top in England ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea.

Ferguson was a serial winner who demanded 100 percent from every one of his players from the moment they crossed the white line. He was also a master of mind games, and it's easy to imagine him rattling the overly emotional Arteta. 

The Gunners boss has proven himself as a superb coach, but he cannot yet be classed as a world-class manager. For all the progress they've made as a team, one FA Cup in six years is not good enough for a club the size of Arsenal, and Arteta's cautious approach in the most important games is one of the main reasons the trophy cabinet is still gathering dust.

Indeed, it seems he hasn't learned his lesson yet either. Arsenal lost 1-0 to Liverpool at Anfield back in August, and could only manage a 0-0 draw against the declining defending champions at the Emirates, while they were also held to a 1-1 draw at home by City. You can see the tension in Arteta's body language in these games, whereas Ferguson used to relish them. He generated a siege mentality that turned the United players into wild animals, not content until they'd got their pound of flesh. A draw was as bad as a defeat in Ferguson's eyes.

Rooney was the shining symbol of that fierce team spirit, and so if he says United would give Arteta's troops a battering, you'd better believe it. Until the Arsenal boss delivers some tangible success, it would be wise for all those connected to the club to refrain from sparking any further legacy debates.