Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher have slammed Granit Xhaka after theArsenalcaptain clashed with his own fans during thePremier Leaguedraw with Crystal Palace.
Gunners boss Unai Emery is considering stripping Xhaka of the Arsenal captaincy after he was seen mouthing ‘f ** k off’ towards his own supporters.
Xhaka was livid after his substitution during Sunday’s 2-2 draw was greeted by sarcastic cheers and antagonized the home fans before taking off his shirt and storming down the tunnel.
Manchester United legend Neville, speaking out for the first time on the outburst, told Sky Sports: ‘I struggle with Xhaka full stop, I’ll be honest with you.
‘I just think it’s his ill-discipline in his performances generally over a period of the last two or three years. I’ve never watched a player who seems to learn less from his experiences than Xhaka.
‘He makes what must be four hundred mistimed tackles a match. He essentially gets booked every time I watch him, I don’t watch him every single game but every game I do watch he gets booked.
‘He doesn’t seem to set the tone for the rest of his team-mates with his performance levels. So, what happened on Sunday doesn’t surprise me. ’
The former England defender added: ‘Those little disputes can happen, I’ve seen them at United over the years where you can get those little bits of fire that occur every so often .
‘He’s having a poor time and I think, ultimately, it’ll be very difficult for him to continue wearing the armband.
‘But it wouldn’t surprise me if Unai Emery sorted it out with him and he does. I think it will be very difficult to patch it up quickly with the fans, I think he’ll have to apologise heavily too them. ’
Liverpool hero Carragher, meanwhile, said: ‘I think it will be difficult for him to keep [the armband] now.
‘It might be better for the club and the atmosphere around the team and the stadium for him to lose it.
‘But there is no one else in the squad that has more captain material, although I don’t think he’s the greatest player, he’s had a poor season.
‘Sometimes, if you’re struggling to pick a captain, you give it to the best player, in which case, give it to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
‘David Luiz is not my cup of tea as a player, but he is a leader in some ways. He’s got a big personality. I can imagine the younger lads in the dressing room looking up at him.
‘He’s a big character, he’s won big things, he’s played at big clubs, with Brazil in World Cups, so he could be an option.
‘So those two, really… but I wouldn’t want either as captain to be honest!’
Arsenal face Premier League leaders Liverpool on Wednesday evening in the Carabao Cup but Xhaka is not expected to be involved.
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