Arsene Wenger claims there will soon be a strong ex-Arsenal brigade among Premier League managers to rival Manchester United's old boys club.

The Gunners travel to the Stadium of Light tomorrow to face Sunderland and Roy Keane, one of four managers who played under Sir Alex Ferguson now plying their trade as top flight bosses.

Steve Bruce (Wigan), Mark Hughes (Man City) and Paul Ince (Blackburn) were United stalwarts in the 1990's and have all made promising starts to their management careers with a reputation for a hard edge in the Ferguson mould.

But Wenger claims several of his own former charges are close to making a similar impact.

"There is no one in England yet but some of them are very close," he said.

"We have Tony Adams, who is an assistant coach at Portsmouth, and Nigel Winterburn is now coaching at Blackburn. Steve Bould is an important coach here in the academy.

"Dennis Bergkamp is going into the job and the rest are very young. It is a long time for them to get into this job and it is a long time to wait for."

Keane has made a commendable start to his managerial career at Sunderland — albeit by spending more than £53million in his two seasons in charge — and has taken his no-nonsense playing approach into his coaching career.

"He has done well in his first year," said Wenger. "You see already when he was a player that there are ingredients in there that make a manager.

"But after that you judge a career on the long term. A management career is a marathon but he has the qualities to become a great manager.

"It doesn't surprise me he is in the Premier League at all because he has played for a long time at the top level.

"After that it is down to stamina in the motivation, stamina to get over the disappointment because a career, unfortunately, is not only about carrying trophies.

"It is also to fight and be motivated, get over big disappointments and continue with exactly the same strength and power."

Wenger had to deal with the negatives after last weekend's humbling by Hull.

The team responded well with a resounding victory against FC Porto, but it will be important to repair the domestic damage by winning at the Stadium of Light.

"It was important to show that last Saturday was an accident," said Wenger, who could be without Alex Song due to a back injury.

"We gave the first half of the response on Tuesday night and we want to give the other half tomorrow."

Of course, it would not be Arsenal or Wenger without insisting on getting the title bid back on track with another stylish display — something that the 58-year-old has passed on to the next generation of Gunners gaffers'.

"The manager is a strong guide inside the club for the players, the club. I had many players, now I have been long enough in the job, that became managers," he added.

"You feel at least you didn't disgust them from doing the job. The fact that you had players and gave them a taste to be managers is always a big satisfaction.

"From generation to generation, you want your philosophy to survive and of course every player with his own character and personality brings a little bit of something that you feel is important in the game towards the next generation."

Should his proteges take Wenger's stylish football into their own managerial careers in England, what a beautiful place the Premier League will be.