Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane has claimed that Arsenal are no longer feared by opponents due to a lack of leaders and characters in their squad.

The Gunners are a fading force in the English game, facing back-to-back seasons outside of the top four following another disappointing domestic campaign this time around.

A failure to challenge for the Premier League title has cost Arsene Wenger his job, leaving Arsenal on the search for a new manager ahead of the 2018-19 season.

Keane believes that it is clear to see why the North Londoners are not the force of old, but has backed the next manager - whoever it may be - to come on board and sort out the problems.

"There are problems at Arsenal but it is still a great job and a lot of managers would love to manage Arsenal and get them back competing for league titles," he told ITV Sport. "In my time, we knew they were going to be the toughest games of the season.

"The Arsenal teams had a lot of power, pace, character, leaders and lots of quality. They were producing brilliant, winning football. You look at the Arsenal teams over the last few years, still a lot of pace but no characters or leaders so they are missing out on the top prizes."

Luis Enrique has emerged as the favourite to replace Wenger in the summer following praise from the Frenchman earlier this week.