Samir Nasri has admitted that
being likened to Zinedine Zidane has been difficult at times,
although he hopes to make the same sort of impact as the France
legend.
Nasri was dubbed 'the new Zidane' early in his career due to his
style of play and the fact that he grew up in Marseille.
Still only 21, Nasri arrived at Arsenal over the summer and made
a superb start as he scored the winning goal against West Brom last
weekend.
He believes people have expected too much from him in the past,
but he feels he is now more equipped to deal with the pressure.
"The comparison with Zidane is one that is drawn with a lot of
youngsters who come from north African backgrounds," Nasri said in
the Daily Mirror.
"It's quite often that these young kids are likened to him in
some way and he's definitely a fine role model to have.
"While it's flattering to be compared to him initially, it can
be very detrimental to a young player's career, especially when you
are 17 or that kind of age.
"It means that people are expecting a lot from you and it can
prove restrictive."
Alexander Hleb, Gilberto and Mathieu Flamini have all left
Arsenal since the end of last season but Nasri thinks his
versatility in midfield will give Arsene Wenger plenty of
options.
He explained: "For France I've mainly played in central midfield
behind one or two forwards but at club level I've played on the
left or right hand side as I have done for Arsenal so far.
"We currently play with two wide midfielders but I could also
play as a central midfielder if asked to."