Freddie Ljungberg was part of one of Arsenal’s best ever teams in The Invincibles but even some of that squad don’t quite get the mentions they might deserve.
While we often sit and laud Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Dennis Bergkamp, there were others in that squad who were brilliant.
Arguably, Ljungberg himself was one of those players who is perhaps under-appreciated but according to the Swedish star himself, it was a defender of that era who takes the honour.
Freddie Ljungberg names Lauren as Arsenal’s most underrated player
Those Arsenal teams Ljungberg played in over the years had plenty of ‘workhorse’ type players who might not be valued by some.
Players like Ray Parlour and even a Sylvain Wiltord spring to mind, but according to Ljungberg himself, the most underrated player was Lauren.
The right-back was an almost ever-present for Arsenal during that Invincible season and played himself into being one of the most consistent right-backs in world football.
Interestingly, the Cameroonian was signed as a midfielder initially before Arsene Wenger converted his skillset to be used at full-back.
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Over the years, Lauren chipped in with nine goals in 246 Arsenal appearances to make himself firmly among the better bargain buys of the era.
Ljungberg was answering a series of quick-fire questions for Viaplay when he named Lauren and was also asked who the most talented player he played with was.
Surprisingly, he didn’t go with Thierry Henry for this one and instead opted for his strike partner, Dennis Bergkamp.
Ljungberg himself played a vital role for Arsenal in the unbeaten season. He managed 10 goals across all competitions that season and was pretty much ever-present down the right wing.
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