Arsène Wenger has said he would cry if there was no football during Christmas. The Arsenal manager was asked about Louis van Gaal’s claim that the lack of a winter break in England is the “most evil thing of this culture” and, while he sympathised with the Manchester United manager’s opinion, Wenger has grown to love the tradition.

Van Gaal believes that not having a break during the festive period hinders Premier League clubs in Europe and the England team in major tournaments, pointing out that Spain, Italy, France and Germany all have one. However Wenger, who has managed Arsenal since 1996, disagreed.

“I have a lot of respect for Louis van Gaal but I don’t agree with him on that,” Wenger said. “Maybe it’s because I’ve been in England for such a long time. I had his ideas when I arrived here but today I would cry if you changed that because it’s part of English tradition and English football.

“To suppress the game on Boxing Day – the whole of Europe comes to England to watch the game. It’s a very important part of us being popular in the world, that nobody works at Christmas and everybody watches the Premier League.”

Wenger suggested giving teams a rest after New Year’s day as an alternative. “I want to go on with it,” he said. “I always pleaded for a break after 1 January but we have to keep this tradition alive.”