Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubaemyang is not a Premier League great, says Parlour

Former Arsenal stalwart Ray Parlour has rebuffed Gary Neville's claims that Gunners marksman Pierre-Emerick Aubaemyang is a "Premier League great".

The player turned Sky Sports pundit heaped praise on the 30-year-old who has been a regular supply of goals since moving to the Emirates in January 2018.

"It's unbelievable his performance over two and a half years," Neville said. "He's not mentioned as world class, we don't mention him as a Premier League great, and I think we have to."

Aubameyang's stats put him up their with some of the top flight's most heralded poachers, but Parlour is not convinced.

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The Gabon international's goals per minutes rate puts him above the likes of Alan Shearer and Ruud van Nistelrooy while he is just 60 seconds shy of matching Thierry Henry's numbers.

But the former Arsenal star – hailed as the 'Romford Pele' – thinks Aubaemyang has not yet done it for long enough to be put in the elite bracket.

“I think you’ve got to look a bit more at longevity,” Parlour told talkSPORT . “[Sergio] Aguero, [Thierry] Henry, Alan Shearer, Robbie Fowler, all these sorts of guys did it year-in, year-out.

“You can’t argue with his [Aubameyang’s] record, and if he hadn’t scored the goals he’s scored this season Arsenal could be very much more in a relegation battle than trying to get in that top five.

“He’s been such an important player for Arsenal going forward with the goals he scores; he’s very clinical once he’s in position.

“He looked very similar to Henry at the weekend. Once he’s through one-on-one that’s all he needs.

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“Henry used to play just off the left-hand side as well, and the way he [Aubameyang] just opened his body out and bent the ball into the far corner was very similar to Henry.

“But whether you can call him a Premier League great yet, I’m not sure about that.”

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