Roy Keane and Graeme Souness have given a brutal verdict over Arsenal man Granit Xhaka.
The Swiss midfielder, who has been with the Gunners since the summer of 2016, has endured a rollercoaster period at the Emirates Stadium since his arrival from Borussia Monchengladbach.
He has been first choice under the likes of Arsene Wenger, Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta, whilst contributing a fair amount to two FA Cup victories.
Despite that, he has also earned a fair share of criticism from supporters and pundits and was involved in an altercation with fans that saw him stripped of the captaincy.
Xhaka now appears on the verge of an Arsenal exit, with Italian giants AS Roma eyeing a swoop.
football.london understands that a deal is close despite late interest from Juventus.
Talking ahead of Switzerland’s Euro 2020 quarter-final meeting with Spain, a game in which Xhaka missed through suspension, both Keane and Souness were scathing on his period in north London.
The Irishman said: “Xhaka has been poor for Arsenal for a number of seasons but when he plays for Switzerland he is unbelievable.
“He will be a massive loss to them [Switzerland], he has been excellent, but you do get a lot more time on the ball in international football and that may play a part in it.”
Souness echoed those thoughts, even referencing Xhaka’s brave recent hair choice.
He said: “He was booked 42 times in five seasons at Arsenal. You would have thought at his age he would have learnt and matured. He came from the Bundesliga with the same reputation.
“I never fancied him at Arsenal, he regularly neglected the basics, but when you have a barnet like that, you need to play well and he has at this tournament.”
