Former Argentina and Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze is reportedly on his way to Arsenal to join Mikel Arteta's coaching ranks.

The Gunners have lost one of their key backroom figures since the season ended, as 29-year-old Carlos Cuesta departed to become head coach of Serie A side Parma.

Cuesta - who is now the youngest manager in Europe's top five leagues - left the Emirates following a stellar five years of service, and there was initial uncertainty over whether Arsenal would directly hire a replacement.

Arteta still has two right-hand men in his coaching team - assistant manager Albert Stuivenberg and first-team coach Miguel Molina - as well as set-piece coach Nicolas Jover and goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana.

However, The Athletic claims that Arsenal are filling the Cuesta void with the appointment of Heinze, who has seemingly agreed to make the move to the Emirates Stadium this summer.

The 47-year-old had been out of work since leaving his post as manager of Newell's Old Boys in December 2023, his fifth head coaching gig since retiring as a player at the end of the 2013-14 campaign.

Heinze's playing and managerial career assessed before Arsenal move

In Heinze, Arsenal are appointing a man best known for his three-year stint at Manchester United from 2004 to 2007, prior to which he and Arteta were briefly teammates at Paris Saint-Germain.

Heinze won one Premier League title at Old Trafford, in addition to claiming a La Liga crown with Real Madrid after leaving Sir Alex Ferguson's side for the Bernabeu and a Ligue 1 honour with Marseille later in his career.

The versatile defender had to wait until the age of 25 to make his debut for the Argentina national team, but he ended his international career with 72 senior caps and represented La Albiceleste at two World Cups in 2006 and 2010.

However, Heinze's most noteworthy international achievement came at the 2004 Olympic Games, where he started every match for an Argentina side who won the gold medal without conceding a single goal.

Since retiring, the South American has taken the reins at Godoy Cruz, Argentinos Jrs, Velez Sarsfield, Atlanta United and Newell's Old Boys, guiding Argentinos Jrs to the Argentinian Second Division title in 2016-17.

Heinze's coaching career has been nothing if not modest so far, but the ex-Man United defender is now taking a step down to the level of assistant and ought to provide Arteta with pivotal experience and a winning mentality to help Arsenal finally get over the Premier League finish line.

Written by
Ben Knapton