Arsenal hero Ray Parlour says Mikel Arteta's team are now on an upward curve after cleaning out the "deadwood".

Parlour was speaking before Arsenal's Carabao Cup quarterfinal win against Sunderland.

He told talkSPORT: "I think he's got the dressing room now. I know it was big news with (Pierre-Emerick) Aubameyang and what's happened to him and he's a big figurehead in that dressing room.

"But since Aubameyang hasn't been in the side, I've seen a good spirit which, sometimes if you leave out an influential player like Aubameyang, then you might have a problem.

"I'm sure everybody does like Aubameyang and gets on with him, but he didn't have an option and had to stamp his authority. He's got a young team, a very young team.

"You can't have youngsters looking at Aubameyang and thinking, 'He's got away with it, maybe I can do the same', you can't do that in the dressing room.

"He got the deadwood out, he got the people he wanted to out. Now if you go through the team, the back four is 24, 23, 22. Ramsdale has been a massive influence, I know it was a poor result against Everton, but other than that it's been pretty good.

"You look at the midfield. Xhaka has Lacazette are the only ones who are 29 and 30, all the rest are really good ages so if they develop as a side going forward then they might have a chance. But it's all ifs and buts."