A Manchester United hero is considering making a shocking choice by joining Arsenal, completely changing the role he’s been in for years.

After a quiet winter, it’s already shaping up to be a summer of big moves in the Premier League. Not only are some big players tipped to move to the English top flight, but important moves off the pitch at many clubs will also take place.

That’ll certainly be the case for Liverpool and Manchester United.

The Reds are on the hunt for a new manager and sporting director, with both Jurgen Klopp and Jorg Schmadtke vacating their positions come the summer. United could potentially hire a new manager, and a lot of personnel changes are being made in the boardroom as part of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s agenda.

Second-placed Premier League side Arsenal are always looking to improve in any area – it’s why they’ve been in a title fight for the past couple of seasons after finishing eighth in both of Mikel Arteta’s first two seasons at the helm.

And while a number on-field moves are almost certain, a big off-field move is in the works, too.

It was recently reported that Arteta is keen on adding former Manchester United man Heinze to his coaching staff.

His experience in England during his playing days saw him win the Red Devils’ player of the year in 2004/05 and take home a Premier League medal in 2006/07.

Heinze could accept huge role change for Arsenal

He’s not been back in any capacity since leaving United for Real Madrid in 2007, and he began a coaching career in 2015 in his native Argentina.

While his coaching exploits have always seen him work as a manager – he was most recently the head coach of Newell’s Old Boys – he’ll have to make a decision on whether he’ll drop down the ladder to just be a member of the coaching staff at Arsenal.

“Another Arsenal story to watch could be with former Manchester United and Real Madrid defender Gabriel Heinze joining Mikel Arteta’s coaching staff,” Fabrizio Romano told Caught Offside.

“He has a very good relationship with some members of Arteta’s staff, but it’s up to Heinze. He has to decide whether he wants to continue as a first-team coach or join a coaching staff.”

Heinze could have other offers

Romano details how Heinze has not yet made up his mind, but suggests there are other clubs that would also take him on board.

“At the moment, nothing is decided yet, with Arsenal or any other club, but he’s really appreciated around the world as a coach, for sure,” Romano added.

With the fact that Heinze has held five managerial positions, and most recently did so at the end of 2023, there seems a good chance a club would want him as their manager.

It remains to be seen if that’s the case, but if so, he’d need to think long and hard about the trajectory of his career. Dropping down into a coaching role could potentially set him back in his managerial ambitions, while there’s a chance it could also springboard him to better opportunities if he stands out alongside Arteta.

Albert Stuivenberg has done so and is now in the conversation to take the Ajax job.