Former Arsenal forward Charlie Nicholas has claimed that Lucas Perez has been "underused" and "underappreciated" since joining the club.

The 28-year-old has started just two Premier League matches for the Gunners since his summer arrival from Deportivo La Coruna, finding himself behind the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud in the pecking order.

Perez scored a hat-trick during the Champions League win over Basel last month, and Nicholas believes that he deserves more opportunities to show what he can do.

"I would say he has been underused. I do like his movement, which is very important, especially without Theo Walcott in the side," he told Sky Sports News.

"He was the one guy against Bournemouth that should have come out of it with credit, other than the self-indulgent Olivier Giroud. He's underused, underappreciated and should have been given more game time. I like him and am happy to have him at the club."

Arsenal are back in action on Sunday when they host Burnley at the Emirates Stadium.