FORMER Arsenal star Bacary Sagna has labelled ex-team-mate Samir Nasri as 'crazy' after declaring he could be too outspoken in the dressing room at times.
Though the 38-year-old insisted that he respects his French compatriot for his honesty – even if his views did rub people up the wrong way.
Sagna played with Nasri at the Emirates between 2008-2011, while the pair were also team-mates at Manchester City between 2014-2017.
And the duo also shared the same changing room on international duty for Les Bleus.
Nasri, who announced his retirement at the age of 34 in September, was no stranger to hitting the headlines for the wrong reasons during his career.
The two-time Premier League winner developed a bad boy persona, with William Gallas claiming Nasri planned to taser him in 2009.
Former Citizens boss Roberto Mancini even once joked, "I would like to give him a punch," as he hit out at his incontinency.
Nasri was also given a doping ban in 2018 after he was found to have breached World Anti-Doping Agency rules following intravenous treatment in Los Angeles.
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Speaking to SunSport via Freebets.com, Sagna admitted that Nasri sometimes overstepped his mark, but refused to criticise him over his actions.
He said: "Samir was crazy, on and off the pitch!
"I respect him for being honest with me, the other players and the coaches but unfortunately, he perhaps could have reigned in some of his thoughts.
"Sometimes when you don't like something and you’re in a group, you have to choose your moments when to speak up.
But I’d rather have someone like him who was honest, than someone who was fake to you.
"I will always respect that side of him."
Sagna also commented on former Arsenal ace Abou Diaby, who was tipped to be the next Patrick Vieira, only for injuries to cruelly rob him of the chance to become a Gunners legend.
Diaby, 35, suffered a serious ankle injury against Sunderland in May 2006, before then picking up further knocks to his knee, thigh and groin.
He was limited to just 180 appearances from his nine-year stay in North London, with the player forced to hang up his boots aged 32.
Discussing the towering central midfielder, Sagna remarked: "Abou was amazing.
"Fearless with a huge amount of talent but his injury finished it off because he dislocated his ankle.
"Then after that he was compensating from somewhere else, and he never managed to get back to what he was.
"He became fragile. An unlucky player but he was brilliant. "
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