Arsenal ace Abou Diaby can be the new Patrick Vieira, says Emmanuel Petit
Published 22:01 24/08/09 By By John Cross
Emmanuel Petit last night claimed Abou Diaby can follow Patrick Vieira and become an Arsenal legend.
Former World Cup winner Petit enjoyed a glorious midfield partnership with hardman Vieira which was the cornerstone of Arsenal's 1998 Double winning team.
Petit believes 6ft 2in midfielder Diaby has all the attributes to emulate Vieira in the Arsenal midfield and become a powerhouse who can defend and attack after his two goals saw off Portsmouth at the weekend.
Former Arsenal midfielder Petit said: "Both in terms of build, and in their style of play, they have a lot of similarities.
“Diaby's a good player. He's also someone who freed his game up when he came to England.
"He learned how to get out of this label that is too often put on midfielders - whether in France, Italy or elsewhere - that says defensive midfielders are there to defend, and attacking midfielders are there to create things.
"That's not the case in England, where a midfielder has to know how to do everything. So that freed his game up.
"Before you can compare, he has to prove over the long term that he can do what Patrick Vieira did over a number of years, both in terms of performances and also in terms of titles."
