Manchester United legend Andrei Kanchelskis believes Arsenal forward Andrey Arshavin is overrated and not consistent enough in the Premier League.
The former Old Trafford winger, who played 145 times for the Red Devils during his four year Manchester United career, believes the aforementioned Arsenal star has been “praised too much” and is “overrated”.
Although the 29-year-old Gunners’ star has begun the season in good form, scoring two goals against Blackpool and Blackburn already, Kanchelskis believes his compatriot’s spell in England has thus far been underwhelming since he arrived in January 2009 for a club record fee believed to be in the region of £15 million.
The Manchester United legend told Russian newspaper Sport-Express: “To start with, Arshavin seldom plays for 90 minutes and is usually substituted in the second half,
"When he plays each match from start to finish, then we will see.
"In the first match (of the season) against Liverpool, you didn’t see him in the box. A week later Blackpool conceded six goals, Arshavin took a penalty and scored.
“But you need to understand the level of the opponent.
"And then Blackburn, who he scored the winning goal against, are far from a top club.
"In my opinion, Arshavin is overrated.
“He has been praised too much. He hasn’t shown brilliance for a very long time. The main thing is consistency, which Arshavin doesn’t have."