Former Arsenal and England defender Lee Dixon has given the green light for a sensational swap deal involving Marcus Rashford and Myles Lewis-Skelly. Only five players, Mikael Silvestre, Robin van Persie, Danny Welbeck, Alexis Sanchez and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, have represented both Arsenal and Manchester United in the Premier League era, but that could become six if Dixon gets his way.
Rashford's return and Lewis-Skelly's struggles
United star Rashford is back with his parent club after spending last season on loan at Barcelona. The Catalan club let an option for a permanent deal expire and - for now at least - he is part of the picture at Old Trafford.
The forward's form in La Liga earned him a place in England's World Cup squad, something which Lewis-Skelly didn't manage. The Arsenal youngster struggled for regular game time last season, prompting suggestions he could look for a move away from North London, though it remains to be seen whether he would rather stay and fight for his place.
Dixon's case for the trade
Both players have connections with their current clubs and there's no guarantee either would entertain a move to a rival. That said, Dixon has made the case for the trade.
"Would I swap them? You know what, I probably would," the 62-year-old told BestBettingSites. "And that's nothing against Myles Lewis-Skelly; it's about giving him the freedom to go and expand his game elsewhere.
"With Marcus Rashford, he's a player who needs an arm around his shoulder, and Arteta would be great for him. Give him that love, give him the freedom to play on that left side, and yeah, I'd like to see him in an Arsenal shirt. I have my reservations about whether he's consistently a top-class player, but based on what Arsenal have in the squad now, he'd be a good addition."
Fits for both clubs
There's an argument for both men being a good fit on the other side of the United-Arsenal divide. Arsenal are already in the market for a left-sided forward after selling Leandro Trossard to Besiktas and falling short in their efforts to land Vinicius Junior.
United would no doubt welcome a player of Lewis-Skelly's profile. The 19-year-old would be able to offer an option at left-back and in midfield, two areas where Michael Carrick's side are looking a little light.
Pre-season updates
Rashford could make his first United appearance of pre-season this week in a friendly against Leeds in Dublin. He was one of nine players to link up with the rest of the squad after the weekend draw with Paris Saint-Germain, with Matthijs de Ligt among the others after the Dutch defender missed a chunk of last season through injury.
Lewis-Skelly has been involved throughout Arsenal's friendly programme, having not had any World Cup distractions. He started the Gunners' most recent game, a narrow defeat against Borussia Dortmund in the Emirates Cup.
