Iconic Manchester United Premier League winner joins Arsenal coaching staff | Football
Arsenal have brought former Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze onto Mikel Arteta’s coaching staff.
The Gunners have moved to replace Carlos Cuesta, who left their coaching team to take over as manager of Italian side Parma.
The Athletic report that Heinze is being brought in, with the 47-year-old having had an unspectacular time as a manager since retiring from playing in 2014.
The former full-back has had stints in charge of Godoy Cruz, Argentinos Juniors, Velez Sarsfield and most recently Newell’s Old Boys in his home country of Argentina.
He also had a brief spell as manager of Atlanta United in MLS. His most recent spell in a top job was with Newell’s, which ended in November 2023.
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The move to Arsenal seems surprising but is not entirely out of the blue as Heinze and Arteta go a long way back.
The pair played together at Paris Saint-Germain in 2001-02, with the Spaniard speaking highly of the Argentine’s influence in the past.
The appointment will probably not be too popular at Old Trafford, where Heinze was an iconic figure, despite a pretty short time with Manchester United.
The left-back signed from PSG in 2004 and spent three seasons with the Red Devils, making 83 appearances in all competitions.
A serious injury wiped out almost the whole of the 2005-06 season before Heinze won the Premier League with Manchester United in what turned out to be his final year at the club in 2006-07.
The tough-tackling defender then left for Real Madrid, but was a memorable force at Old Trafford, despite only making 52 Premier League appearances.
Cuesta’s departure has been seen as a blow for Arsenal, with the 29-year-old a highly-rated young coach.
On his departure from the Emirates, he posted an emotional message, writing: ‘After five beautiful years it’s hard to put this into words, but I can only express how grateful I am for having lived my day-to-day with such special people and feel what it means to represent this football club, with its incredible history and value.
‘The only thing I’ve ever tried to do was give everything I had inside of me every single day.
‘I was inspired by the culture that was created, by the hunger of every person of the organisation and by the unity that we had in any situation that we had to face.
‘It has been a privilege to have had the chance to work with the players, staff, directors and all the employees of the club and at the same time, to receive an extra push from our amazing fans in every match.
‘Because of the quality of its people, I’m convinced that the best moments for this football club are still yet to come. Enjoy the journey, because it is a very exciting one. Thank you Arsenal.’
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