Arsenal chief Arsene Wenger feels Samir Nasri’s first Premier League season has been wasted by ‘too many injuries’.
Nasri was tipped to make a big impression following his summer move from Marseille, but Wenger feels he has not hit the expected heights and puts this down to fitness problems.
The tactician expected fellow left-sided players Gael Clichy and Nasri to build a solid partnership, but regrets that the youngster’s health has slowed down their development as a duo.
The 21-year-old Nasri has appeared 12 times in the league and scored 4 goals for the North Londoners after moving from Marseille.
Wenger told France-Football: “Samir is a mix of [Robert] Pires and [Alexander] Hleb. I told myself that signing him could prove a positive gamble.
“But he picked up many injuries, too many!
“You tell yourself that if the guy was always with us, he would bring us a lot, but for the moment he has only been there half of the games, and fits and starts are bad for high level football.
“The partnership with Clichy has developed, but we are still far from what can be produced because he is too often absent.”