Gary Neville learned Arsenal secret on England duty that helped Manchester United 'kill' them

Former Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman has revealed how Gary Neville unearthed Arsenal's competitive edge while away on international duty.

Arsenal rose to become United's major domestic rival after the appointment of Arsene Wenger as manager in 1996. The Frenchman revolutionised modern football in England, with much of his focus on improving the fitness of his players via a strict dietary regime.

Wenger famously implemented a clean and balanced diet within the squad - a given now, but far from normal back in the late 1990s - replacing red meat with boiled chicken and pies with pasta. He also banned casual group drinking among the squad and removed alcohol from the players' lounge.

During the early 2000s, Arsenal and England shared the same nutritionist, Dr John Crane, who ensured Wenger's players were sticking to their programme while away on international duty. And it was there that Neville started to ask questions.

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"We went to England and we were on our special diet," Seaman told Wenger on his podcast. "We were eating it and, I'll always remember this boss, Gary Neville looked over to our table and was like 'What are they eating over there? Why aren't they eating the same as us? We're a team! We should be eating the same!'

"So that's how he found out about what we were eating and then he took it back to Man United."

Wenger then exclaimed: "They copied us! The English national team killed us!"

United evidently took those lessons on board, with Sir Alex Ferguson's side going onto to take a clear lead in the rivalry. Arsenal won three Premier League titles during Wenger's first eight years in charge but failed to win the top flight after 2004.

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