As quoted by Sky Sports, former Barcelona midfielder Xavi has gone on to lavish Arsenal attacker Alexis Sanchez with high praise.

Many knew that Arsenal had managed to secure the services of a quality player when they signed Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona during the summer of 2014 for a fee believed to be in the region of around £32 million and it has to be said that the Gunners’ investment on the Chilean superstar has paid huge dividends.

Sanchez has managed to set the Premier League alight with his stunning performances at the Emirates Stadium over the past two-and-a-half seasons and the 27-year-old has been leading Arsenal’s title challenge during the current campaign.

The attacker’s form this season in particular has earned him a lot of admirers and now Barcelona legend Xavi has taken the time out to praise his former teammate.

The Spaniard explained that he is not at all surprised by Sanchez’s form during the current campaign and has stated his belief that the ex-Udinese star is easily among the best players in the world at the moment.

The 36-year-old was quoted saying by Sky Sports, "The level Sanchez is playing at now is not a shock to me at all, he is one of the top forwards in Europe and now everybody is seeing it.

"He scored some important goals for Barcelona, but maybe because there were so many established stars already at Barcelona that not everybody recognised him as they should.

Xavi hails his former teammate

"Now at Arsenal he is their main threat, people are starting to notice - but anybody who has played with him will know of his qualities and not be at all surprised he is now being considered one of the best attacking players in the world.

"What gets him so much respect is his work rate. He has this obvious ability but also works so hard for the team, he never stops running."

It is no secret to Arsenal fans that Sanchez is a world class player and such words from a legendary figure like Xavi will surely motivate the Chilean to do even better.