Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has hit back at those who have called him "a brainless idiot" as a result of his disciplinary difficulties in his first season in England.
Xhaka, who moved to Arsenal from Borussia Monchengladbach last summer, was sent off against Swansea City in October, and was dismissed again during the Premier League win over Burnley in January.
Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown went as far as to suggest the Switzerland international was jeopardising his long-term future at the club, and claimed manager Arsene Wenger "is going to have to work with Granit Xhaka and teach him how to tackle."
"What hurt me a lot was the source of the criticism and its form. It didn't come from my club, but from former players who don't know me any more than they know Arsenal," Xhaka, who has also picked up eight yellow cards for his club this term, told Swiss media.
"People who don't know anything about how I work attacked me by making me look like a brainless idiot and nasty."
Xhaka was banned for four games following his second straight red card of the season. However, as soon as his suspension ended, he returned to the starting lineup for Arsenal's Champions League round-of-16 first leg at Bayern Munich.
"Arsene Wenger couldn't have given me a better sign of confidence. After two weeks working with the fitness coach, the coach came to me and took a weight off my shoulders: 'You're playing!'" Xhaka said.
"You see, such a sending-off can, according to the circumstances, change a career. The coach also could very well have said to me that I was a burden on the route to success. He also could have sacked me!"