Gary Neville heaps praise on Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and claims he is a Premier League great
Former Manchester United defender turned pundit Gary Neville has given praise to Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and has suggested that the striker should be regarded as a Premier League great.
KYIV, UKRAINE – NOVEMBER 29, 2018: Arsenal supporters show their support during the UEFA Europa League game against Vorskla Poltava at NSC Olimpiyskyi stadium in Kyiv, Ukraine. Arsenal won 3-0
Neville’s praise comes following Arsenal’s 3-2 win over Everton with the Gabon international scoring in each half to give the Gunners a much-needed win.
Aubameyang’s two goals against the Toffees means that he is now the joint-top goalscorer in the Premier League alongside Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy, with both strikers on 17 goals this campaign so far.
Neville told Sky Sports that Aubameyang is a leader and reminds him of Arsenal legend Ian Wright because of his character and his willingness to work hard.
The defender continued, saying that he was impressed that the captain of the side is on nearly the same minutes per goal as one of the biggest Premier League’s stars of all time and Arsenal’s record top goalscorer Thierry Henry.
Neville was also impressed by Aubameyang’s output on the left-wing even though he is an out and out centre forward.
The 30-year-0ld joined the Gunners in January 2018 in what turned out to be Arsene Wenger’s final signing for the club.
Arsenal paid nearly £60m for the forward to pry him out from German giants Borussia Dortmund and the investment looks to have paid off.
In 95 appearances for the club, he has scored an incredible 60 goals and added an extra 13 assists in just two years.
He is only a goal shy of reaching 50 goals in the Premier League and has reached 49 goals in just 74 games. His unbelievable goalscoring record in the league is shown by the fact that he is the reigning Golden Boot winner alongside Liverpool duo Mo Salah and Sadio Mane, who all got 22 goals last season.
Aubameyang earned the captain’s armband during the season having been one of Arsenal’s five captains in the squad.
After Granit Xhaka’s outburst against Crystal Palace, he was stripped of the captaincy and the then Arsenal boss Unai Emery handed the armband to the prolific striker.
Despite his importance to the side, rumours are still circling that the striker will leave the club in the summer with Barcelona a very highly rumoured destination.
This is because the Arsenal star has yet to renew his contract at the club with his current deal running out in the summer of 2021, meaning that if he doesn’t renew his deal by the end of this season, he could leave on a free when his contract runs out.
