Gary Neville “not surprised” by Granit Xhaka reaction – and says he’s never seen a player as bad as him in one regard
Gary Neville says he has never seen a player who learns less from his experiences than Granit Xhaka.
The Arsenal captain has come in for criticism following his reaction to being booed by his own fans in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace.
A section of the Emirates Stadium support cheered Unai Emery’s decision to replace Xhaka in the 61st minute of the draw with Roy Hodgson’s side.
The cheers turned to jeers as Xhaka slowly exited the pitch, with the Switzerland international reacting by cupping his ear and appearing to swear at the home supporters.
Neville says he was not surprised by the episode and criticised the midfielder for his lack of discipline on the field.
“I struggle with Xhaka full stop,” he told Sky Sports. “I just think he’s ill-disciplined in his performances generally over the last two to three years.
“I’ve never watched a player who seems to learn less from his experiences than Xhaka. He makes 400 mistimed challenges a game. He gets booked every single game I watch him.
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“He doesn’t seem to set the tone for the rest of his team-mates with his performance levels. So what happened on Sunday doesn’t surprise me, because I think ill-discipline – he’s been riddled with it for the last few years.
“He does give his all. He’s committed. There’s no doubt about that. But he’s the least experienced experienced player I’ve ever watched. He’s rash, and I don’t know why he doesn’t pick up on this.
“On Sunday, it can happen. I’ve got no great problem with this idea of taking on your fans, and a bit of tension.
“It’s never healthy but in football sometimes that can happen. I have a bigger problem watching him with his performance levels.”
Arsenal return to action with a trip to Liverpool in the fourth round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
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Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).