Saturday 17 December 2016 18:15, UK
Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez is finally getting the recognition he deserves following a sensational first half of the season, according to his former Barcelona team-mate Xavi.
The Chile international has flourished for the Gunners since being deployed in a central attacking role by manager Arsene Wenger, scoring 14 goals in 22 matches, including a stunning 14-minute hat-trick against West Ham earlier this month.
However Xavi, who played alongside Sanchez at the Nou Camp between 2011 and 2014, is not surprised by the 27-year-old's fine form and believes everyone must now recognise him as one of the finest attacking players.
"The level Sanchez is playing at now is not a shock to me at all, he is one of the top forwards in Europe and now everybody is seeing it," the 36-year-old said.
"He scored some important goals for Barcelona, but maybe because there were so many established stars already at Barcelona that not everybody recognised him as they should.
"Now at Arsenal he is their main threat, people are starting to notice - but anybody who has played with him will know of his qualities and not be at all surprised he is now being considered one of the best attacking players in the world.
"What gets him so much respect is his work rate. He has this obvious ability but also works so hard for the team, he never stops running."
Sanchez has 18 months remaining on his contract at Arsenal and has recently been linked with a move to Manchester City as well as a switch to China.
In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports on Friday, Sanchez said he was happy at Arsenal but put the onus on the club to make the first move in the contract negotiations.
Remember, you can watch Manchester City v Arsenal on Super Sunday, live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 3.30pm.
