Alexis Sanchez is Arsenal's 'quiet' Ian Wright, says Wenger

This season is all about new icons in north London, and while Spurs fans pay homage to hero Harry Kane after the north London derby, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has likened his latest talisman, Alexis Sanchez, to one of the most iconic Gunners figures of the Premier League era – Ian Wright.

Sanchez was missing from the Arsenal line-up at White Hart Lane but will return for the match against Leicester City at the Emirates tonight.

Welcoming him back with evident relief, Wenger said: "He is loved by everybody. He is very friendly and bubbly every day. He is our best goalscorer and one of our hardest working players in the team. Physically we suffered a little bit on some occasions on Saturday. It's good to have him back."

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When asked if he reminded him of any former players Wenger added: "He is a bit like Ian Wright. The enthusiasm of Wright, he has that, but quieter, which is not that difficult. And he doesn't get booked."

Sanchez will be tasked with injecting "the spark and endeavour" back into Arsenal, says The Times. He was "sorely missed" on Saturday, says the Daily Mail, which describes him as Arsenal's "stand-out player since his £30m move from Barcelona in the summer".

Wenger also admitted that had the game at Spurs been the final match of the season he would have risked the all-action Chilean, but feared that if he were to aggravate his hamstring problem he could have missed the rest of the current campaign – an all-too familiar fate for Arsenal players.

Wright, who played for the Gunners from 1991 to 1998, scored 185 goals in 288 appearances, and replaced Cliff Bastin as the club's record scorer, a title he held until he was overtaken by Thierry Henry in 2005.

Sanchez has some way to go before he has his name in the Arsenal record books. But he has made a decent start: since arriving in the summer he has managed 18 goals so far in his debut season.