Arsene Wenger reveals admiration for Brian Clough

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed that he was an admirer of former Nottingham Forest boss Brian Clough when starting out as a manager, and said that the latter was "on another planet".

Clough, who took charge of Forest in 1975, claimed the First Division title immediately after being promoted, while he also won two successive European Cups during his time in the Midlands.

Arsenal meet Forest in the FA Cup on Sunday, and Wenger has hailed Clough as an influence on his own managerial career.

"Of course, Clough was one of the ­managers I used to look at when I was a young manager," the Frenchman told The Mirror. "I looked at all the big managers who were successful.

"I spent time you would not ­believe going to see how managers worked, travelling in my car at night and watching the training in the morning, then going back home again.

"Today, everything is ­available, it's easier. You go on the internet and you have every exercise of every single club. But at that time you had to look and it was a rarity to see – Brian Clough was like a guy on another planet."

Arsenal's FA Cup tie is followed by an EFL Cup fixture against Chelsea.