Ray Parlour: Mathieu Flamini is Arsenal’s unsung hero

Ray Parlour has hailed Mathieu Flamini as the unsung hero of Arsenal’s midfield this season.

The French midfielder has been a mainstay of Arsene Wenger’s side since his return to north London on a free transfer over the summer.

The 29-year-old was forced off in the first half of Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Norwich City on Saturday after suffering a concussion and is a doubt for Tuesday’s clash against Borussia Dortmund.

But Parlour believes that Flamini deserves credit for his performances so far this season and feels he was the missing link in the Gunners’ midfield.

“Flamini has been a massive signing,” Parlour told talkSPORT.

“The midfield has always been very good, but they were all very similar players. The likes of [Santi] Cazorla, [Mikel] Arteta are really good on the ball, but they had no one in there bossing everyone around. Now suddenly Flamini has gone in there and he is starting to pull people around.

“Before he left for AC Milan he was fantastic. Now he is doing a very similar role and giving it to Ozil, Cazorla. He has been a real unsung hero so far.

“These sort of players do their jobs well but go unseen. He has been a really important player that has come into the club and gone on from where he left. He could be the difference this season.”