Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger reveals he watches Match of the Day but prefers to turn the sound off

It seems Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and the likes just don't make the grade in Wenger's opinion

Arsene Wenger and Gary Lineker (Getty Images)

Arsene Wenger has revealed that he, just like the rest of us, enjoys settling down on a Saturday night and watch Match of the Day – except that he watches it with the sound off.

The Arsenal manager revealed in an interview with Arsenal’s official magazine that he does watch the BBC’s highlights show, which is presented on Saturday nights by Gary Lineker and features regular analysts such as Alan Shearer, Mark Lawrenson, Danny Murphy and Phil Neville.

But while the ex-pros make a living in highlighting the good and the bad in the Premier League, it seems Wenger just doesn’t want to hear it – although he did admit to occasionally watching the show in order to see how his side have been perceived by the ‘experts’.

“In the evening I sometimes watch Match of the Day to see what happened here and there and to see how we have been perceived,” Wenger said.

“Sometimes I think it would be better to watch it with the sound turned down!”

The problem for Match of the Day is that they may have pleased Wenger had they been able to keep hold of his former talisman Thierry Henry, but after he had fulfilled his commitments with the BBC during last summer’s World Cup coverage, the Arsenal legend moved on to pastures new in the form of Sky Sports.

Of course there is the idea that Wenger turns down the volume in order to fill the airtime with his own running commentary, and who wouldn’t want to listen to that, though this time he might actually see a controversial incident when it happens.