ARSENAL will be looking to lay down an early marker when they take on Premier League rivals Manchester United tomorrow (Saturday) at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

The Gunners will go into the high-profile pre-season clash buzzing with confidence after starting their tour of the United States yesterday (Thursday) with a thumping 5-0 victory over an MLS All-Stars side managed by former Red Devils icon Wayne Rooney.

The win in Washington was packed with positives: five unanswered goals, Kai Havertz opening his Arsenal account, and fellow summer signings Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber also both impressing on their debuts.

But perhaps the biggest insight into what Mikel Arteta has planned for the coming season was revealed by the Gunners boasting five different goalscorers at Audi Field Stadium, with Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard, Jorginho and Gabriel Martinelli all joining Havertz on the score-sheet.

Promising to make life as challenging as possible for Arsenal’s title rivals, Arteta said: “The idea is to be more unpredictable every year and to be more difficult for the opponents to stop and nullify. That’s what we have now, especially at the back and in midfield – we have many more options [to open up the spaces] than we had last year.”

One key component to such a gameplan could be Havertz. Fans have been divided by Arsenal’s decision to invest somewhere in the region of £65million to prise the German international away from London rivals Chelsea.

Havertz was ridiculed on social media after having 14 goes at the MLS All-Stars cross-then-volley skills challenge – and failing with all of them.

Fast-forward 24 hours and there was something predictable about what came next. With just minutes left on the clock against the All-Stars, Havertz controlled a Marquinhos cross on his chest, steadied himself and then smashed a half-volley into the back of the net.

Arteta had a knowing smile on his face as he described the versatility that Havertz will bring to his team. The Arsenal boss said: “He gives us something very different with his quality, and his size as well – when you have to beat the press, for example, and use him as a target man. For now he’s playing in the attacking midfield position, but I’m sure throughout the season, and throughout games as well, we’re going to have the options to play him in different positions.”

The only negative in Arsenal’s opening pre-season win of the summer was Trossard limping off injured. Arteta didn’t seem too worried, however, saying: “He had some pain, but I don’t expect it to be anything big.”