"I'm not a fan..." - Emmanuel Petit slams Arsenal star Rob Holding for being "too soft"

Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit has taken aim at Rob Holding, labelling him "too soft" to be a defender.

Holding has had to step in for William Saliba, who sustained a back injury during during Thursday's Europa League round of 16 second leg against Sporting Lisbon, which saw the Gunners knocked out on penalties.

The 21-year-old had to withdraw from the France squad, with Gunners' supporters keeping their fingers crossed he will return to the lineup after the international break.

Takehiro Tomiyasu was also forced off against Sporting Lisbon, and was unable to fill in at right back on Sunday, preventing Ben White from reverting to his traditional centre-back role.

Tomiyasu has since been ruled out for the rest of the season, with the club confirming the Japanese international had to undergo surgery on his knee.

In Tomiyasu and Saliba's absence, Holding played the full 90 minutes against Crystal Palace on Sunday, helping his side to a comprehensive 4-1 win at the Emirates Stadium.

The 27-year-old faired well considering he had played just six minutes of Premier League football prior to the contest.

Petit slams Holding

However, Petit is not a fan, branding him "too soft" for a defender.

“Rob Holding, I am not a big fan of him, to be honest,” Petit told Premier League Productions.

“I think he is too soft, as a defender. It’s such as shame also to see [Takehiro] Tomiyasu injured. I would have preferred to have played with Ben White as a central defender.”

It's not the first time Petit has lashed out at an Arsenal player this season. Earlier in the month, the Frenchman ripped into new signing Jorginho, revealing he wasn't a fan of the Italian either.

Speaking to Premier League Odds, Petit stated: "I’m not a big fan of Jorginho and I think he’s very happy he’s left Chelsea’s dressing room - all of a sudden he looks like a different player."