Arshavin still an Arsenal player - Wenger

Arsene Wenger insisted on-loan Russian striker Andrey Arshavin has a future at Arsenal.

“First of all, things have not ended because he is still our player, he is only out on loan,” the manager said discussing Arshavin’s loan move to Zenit St Petersburg..

“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," he told Arsenal.com on the reasons behind his decision to let the Russian leave.

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

Arshavin had struggled to force his way into the Arsenal starting line-up this season and recently found himself behind the likes of Gervinho and Oxlade-Chamberlain in the pecking order.

He was even jeered by a section of the Gunners faithful when he replaced Oxlade-Chamberlain as a substitute against Manchester United.

It was this lack of first team action that lead to Wenger letting the Russian leave on a short term loan deal, with the Frenchman hoping Arshavin’s time in Russia will help him regain some confidence.

However, Wenger made it clear that Arshavin’s move is a temporary one, hinting that he may still have a future at the Emirates.