Arsenal assistant manager Steve Bould has lavished praise on Gunners boss Arsene Wenger, revealing that he 'admires the Frenchman immensely'.

Wenger was expected to leave the Emirates Stadium at the end of last season after failing to guide Arsenal to a top-four finish in the Premier League for the first time.

The 68-year-old ultimately signed a new two-year contract, but it has been another difficult campaign, with widespread criticism leading to claims that Wenger could walk away from the club this summer.

Bould, who stood in for Wenger at Thursday morning's press conference ahead of the Stoke City clash, said that the Arsenal boss 'is still doing a great job'.

"I admire him immensely. He takes an awful lot of stick off a lot of people and he's just one of the great managers. It's a pleasure for me to sit next to him," Bould told reporters. "He's doing a great job as far as I'm concerned and he's done a great job for an awful long time.

Wenger reportedly missed the pre-Stoke press conference having lost his voice.