Arsene Wenger insists Andrey Arshavin still has a future at Arsenal.

While Wenger was prepared to allow the 30-year-old to leave on loan for Zenit St Petersburg, he insists that it is only a temporary measure.

"First of all, things have not ended because he is still our player, he is only out on loan," the manager told arsenal.com.

"I just felt he needed to play. When you are 30 and you do not play regularly, you drop your form and when you come on every time you have to produce something special.

"At that age it is very difficult. I felt he just needed a bit of confidence to play again."