Shevchenko: Arshavin born to play for Arsenal

The 32-year-old Ukrainian - set to line up against England at Wembley on Wednesday - endured a tough two-season spell in the Premier League with the Blues, making just 30 league starts before returning to AC Milan last summer.

However, the former Dynamo Kiev marksman is confident that the Gunners' new £15 million signing will have no such trouble adapting to life in the English top-flight, and will flourish under manager Arsene Wenger.

“It seems to me that Arshavin will achieve great success at Arsenal,” he told Sport Express as Arshavin received the 2008 Zvezda award, presented to the best player in CIS and Baltic countries

"Arsenal are the only side in the English Premier League that always avoid playing the traditional English style of football. I wouldn’t say that I know Arshavin’s style intimately, but I think fast-paced football suits him perfectly.

"I would have been surprised if Arshavin had not established himself at Arsenal with ease because he was born to play at this club.

“To my mind, Andrei was right to move to Arsenal rather than Barcelona, especially taking into consideration the fact that Arsene Wenger had been watching his performances for a long time before bringing him in.

"The most important task for him now is to escape injuries. If he is lucky and avoids injury at the start of his career in England, everything should be all right for him.” 

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