• Premier League

Neville tells 'disinterested' Arshavin to leave Arsenal

ESPN staff
January 23, 2012
Andrei Arshavin was at fault for Manchester United's winner © Getty Images
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Gary Neville has told Andrei Arshavin that he should leave Arsenal if he does not want to give the required effort expected by fans of the Premier League giants.

Arshavin was blamed for Arsenal's 2-1 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday, after Arsene Wenger drew the wrath of the home faithful by substituting the outstanding Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain with the scores at 1-1.

Skipper Robin van Persie was seen to question the manager's decision, and within minutes Arshavin was found wanting defensively when he allowed Antonio Valencia to breeze past him en route to setting up Danny Welbeck's winner.

Neville said on Sky Sports: "He looks the most disinterested player in the league, to me. I think he wants to go back to Russia. Well, go back.

"The Arsenal fans don't want him out there. If the captain's reacting like that, you've got problems."

Wenger attempted to defend the introduction of Arshavin, insisting Oxlade-Chamberlain had been struggling physically. He also pointed to the Russian's experience.

''He (Oxlade-Chamberlain) started to stretch his calf and he had given a lot, he is not used to that intensity," Wenger said. ''I can understand that the fans are upset about the substitution, especially when it doesn't work, but he had started to fatigue.

''He was sick in the week. Arshavin is captain of the Russia national team. You have an 18-year-old kid making his first Premier League start and a player who's captain of his country and they are querying the substitution? Let's be serious.

''I've been a manager for 30 years and have made 50,000 substitutions. I do not have to justify every decision I make to you [the press]. I stand up for it.''

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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