On-loan Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson has claimed that his Gunners teammate Alexis Sanchez is one of the best players in the world and deserves to be bracketed alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Sanchez was one of five players named on the FIFA Ballon d'Or shortlist with the Barcelona and Real Madrid forwards, alongside Chelsea's Eden Hazard and Manchester City trio Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure and Kevin De Bruyne.
Jenkinson, currently on loan at fellow Premier League side West Ham United, is adamant that the Chilean forward has all the qualities of the more decorated names on the list.
"I think that he is up there with the best in the world, you can put him in the same sort of bracket as the Ronaldos and Messis," he told talkSPORT.
"Obviously I still watch Arsenal and I watch him play and he is the sort of player that affects every single game. There are players out there that can produce magical moments, but it is the best ones that do it game in, game out.
"You always know with Sanchez that he is going to affect the game in one way or another and he does it every single game to be honest. His appetite for the game is phenomenal, he looks so hungry, he wants to play in every single game and it is a special thing to have in a footballer."
Sanchez, who has scored 10 goals in his last six games for Arsenal and Chile, is expected to start as the Gunners host German champions Bayern Munich in the Champions League this evening.
Tom Nightingale
