Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has pleaded with the club's fans not to bombard Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger with obscene chants when the teams face off at OldTrafford on Monday.

United's fans regularly subject Wenger to an avalanche of abuse when the two clubs meet, but Ferguson has said the offensive chanting has to stop.

"I plead to our fans. They have got to stop that kind of thing," Ferguson told MUTV. "I have faced it myself in the past. I have had some chants at various grounds up and down the country and it is not a nice thing.

"We have a great rivalry with Arsenal. But it shouldn't extend to those levels, not for Manchester United. I hope we don't hear any more of that."