Arsenal defender Kolo Toure has pleaded with fans not to turn on Emmanuel Eboue. Eboue was hooked by Gunners boss Arsene Wenger in Saturday's 1-0 defeat of Wigan, a decision which was greeted with ironic cheers from fans.

Toure, who describes Eboue as his "little brother", said: "He came on after six weeks out injured and that was his first game.

"The fans gave him a hard time and that is not usual at Arsenal. He has all our support because we know he is a great player. He tries his best for the team even if he is not 100% ready.

"I was surprised because normally our fans are nice always. I think the tension was really high and that is why they were hard.

"I just want to tell them that he is a great lad, he loves the club and wants to do his best for the club. We hope that next time they will help him to come back. That is the only way to behave.

"In the end we had three points and that is good. He will have a chat with the boss and I think he will come back."

Wenger added: "I think he will play on Wednesday. Of course I will sit down with him and talk to him. I believe it could make him stronger and more determined to show how good he is."