Oleg Luzhny: 'Yevhen Konoplyanka not suited to Premier League'

Former Arsenal defender Oleg Luzhny has said that Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur target Yevhen Konoplyanka is not suited to the Premier League.

The ex-Gunner described the Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk winger as a "headless chicken" and said that he would be a better fit for Spain's La Liga.

"Konoplyanka's style of play is better suited to Italy or Spain. The game in England is totally different - it's about power," The Mirror quotes him as saying. "You have to run back and forth, back and forth. You run at speed up and down, and it's like that for 90 minutes.

"I saw how he played in the [World Cup qualification playoff] second leg against France, when Ukraine lost 3-0, and he was like a headless chicken. It is a completely different level. When you play in the Ukraine, you can afford not to run.

"In the match against France, it was evident that Konoplyanka barely runs at all. Konoplyanka is a good player, but he is suited to Spain or Italy, not England."

Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre is reported to have flown to the Ukraine to finalise a deal for Konoplyanka.