Arsenal hero Nigel Winterburn says Granit Xhaka has surprised him this season.

Winterburn has revealed his delight at the Swiss midfielder's resurgence after his playing days at the Emirates looked over.

“A lot of Arsenal fans used to be unhappy with Granit Xhaka and his performances," the ex-left-back told Paddy Power.

"But he's a player who does a lot of work that goes very unnoticed and there's always one or two players in a team that do that. 

“At times he was a little bit rash, but he changed positions slightly towards the end of last season, and now this season, he's playing slightly more advanced.

"He has a new lease of life and he seems to be enjoying his football.

"Did I ever think he would be captain again? No, I didn't. But that shows great courage from the manager and from Xhaka. He's really shown his worth to the team. 

"But he's a huge player within the squad and he seems to have a big influence on a lot of players. 

“At this point in time, I'm absolutely delighted for him that he's shown he has great mental strength to turn things around and it's great that we are talking about him in such a positive way."