Sir Bobby hails the great enterainers

Robson has always had the deepest respect for Arsenal and the traditions the club represent and, in 1995, following the sacking of George Graham, was offered the opportunity to take over. In fact, two jobs were on offer and he was told to take his pick - coach or technical director.

"They assumed I'd want the technical job and were surprised when I told them that I was much more interested in coaching," he said.

Arsenal offered Robson the coaching job and he accepted but his club at the time, Porto, refused to release him from his contract. In the end he decided to stay in Portugal while Arsenal appointed Bruce Rioch to succeed Graham. Rioch's one season in charge, notable chiefly for the signing of a Highbury great, ended in disappointment and acrimony but his departure opened the door to the Wenger era.

The man signed by Rioch, Dennis Bergkamp, is the only current firstteam player surviving from that time. "What a player," enthused Robson. "He's got everything - touch, vision, a great range of passing and he scores goals.

"I think his movement is what catches the eye. He makes things happen for Arsenal. But it's not just him.

They have so many clever players who do the unexpected . . . Henry, Pires, Reyes."

Robson concedes that comparing great teams from different eras is a futile exercise. "It's much the same as comparing great individual players from different eras," he said. "All you can be is the best in your time."

One of the finest English club sides of Robson's career was the Tottenham team that became the first in the 20th century to win the fabled League and FA Cup double in 1961. "At the time Billy Nicholson's team was acknowledged as exceptional," he recalled. "They set new standards. Others tried to match that standard. Bertie Mee's Arsenal won the Double again in 1971. Don Revie had a fantastic team at Leeds and Bill Shankly built a great Liverpool side and laid the foundations for what followed at Anfield.

"Under Bob Paisley Liverpool dominated football in Europe with a great passing game and with him in charge won the European Cup three times in five seasons. Matt Busby won the European Cup with Manchester United in 1968 and, of course, in the modern game United have been a dominant force again under Sir Alex Ferguson."

Robson refused to tip a winner of Sunday's big clash at Old Trafford but, like the rest of us, believes that 49 unbeaten Premiership games gives Arsenal an edge in terms of confidence.

He said: "You don't go undefeated in 49 games unless you've got a team of real quality. It looks to me as though Arsene has a very special team. They have drive, great pace and a deep commitment to the cause. Their team spirit is impressive and you can see that in the way they defend as a unit.

"The back four is well-organised, compact and tough and they tackle well. The energy of the midfield players means they get plenty of support too.

"They play well on the wings with Pires and Ljungberg and, of course, Henry often starts from wide positions. They cross the ball with accuracy and they know how to finish. They've got goalscorers in all positions- - Henry, Bergkamp, Ljungberg-Pires, Reyes. "Their speed, the accuracy of their passing and the ability to hit opponents on the break is what makes them one of the most entertaining teams I've seen."

But, as Robson pointed out, they have yet to emulate United's European success. Ferguson's great team of 1999 won the treble of European Cup, Premiership and FA Cup.

And, of course, it was United who came closest to disrupting Arsenal's record-breaking undefeated run in the corresponding Old Trafford fixture last season. Ruud van Nistelrooy drove a penalty against the bar in the final minute of a fractious game, which ended in a goalless draw and saw Patrick Vieira sent off for kicking out at the United player.

This time United's attack will be significantly reinforced by the presence of £27million birthday boy Wayne Rooney, who announced his arrival as a marksman of top quality with a stunning goal for Everton that ended Arsenal's 30-match unbeaten run two years ago. Rooney is 19 on Sunday, but Robson has already seen enough of him to believe he could emerge as one of the great names in world football.

He said: "All the truly outstanding teams have a player the opposition can't always legislate for and Rooney comes into this category. He's an extraordinary talent for his age.

"He knows where the goal is and he's not fazed by anything. As long as he looks after himself properly he's going to be a gem of a player."

Man United v Arsenal, Sunday,

4.05pm (Live on Sky Sports 1)