Aaron Wan-Bissaka will give up his family ties when Manchester United goes to Arsenal to start the 2020 season.

Wan-Bissaka grew up in a family of Arsenal fans. His dad told him that he used to call the now-united right-back Thierry Henry in the past.

Even though Wan-Bissaka just moved to United from Arsenal for £50 million in the summer, he will be looking to beat them and help United’s chances of finishing in the top four. 

“Is it more important for Arsenal to win or for me to play well?” Wan-Bissaka asked his dad Ambroise in a film that his sponsors, Adidas, put out before the New Year’s Day match.

“Game by game, I like you to get better and play well,” Ambroise told him. “Not so Arsenal can win.”

This was a good answer, Wan-Bissaka, 22, said.

The younger brother Kevin told him, “See, when you play Arsenal, it’s going to be tough for me.” I’d like a draw.

Wan-Bissaka said, “I’m going for a win all the way.”

As for the family ties to Arsenal, Ambroise said, “We have been fans of Arsenal ever since we saw how good Thierry Henry was.” 

“Thierry Henry was good when we got here, and everyone knew him.” I used to call Aaron Thierry Henry when he was younger. When we went to Arsenal games, we all had to sit down and watch.

You can see Wan-Bissaka play against Arsenal for the first time since his big move from Crystal Palace on Wednesday. He missed United’s 1-1 draw with them in October.

He’s been one of United’s best players this season, and the fact that he wasn’t playing in Burnley on Saturday was a sign of how important he is. He was rested in part to avoid getting a fifth yellow card, which would have kept him from going to Arsenal.

The 2-0 win at Burnley moved Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team up to fifth place, four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea to begin the new year.