Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta has expressed his admiration for Liverpool's controversial striker Luis Suarez.

The Spaniard insists that the Reds forward has shown "great character" to bounce back from criticism over his racism row and biting incident.

"He is a tremendous player," The Mirror quotes Arteta as saying. "And he has shown a lot of character to get back after getting really criticised and on the front pages a lot.

"He has gone on to produce some great performances and his goal-scoring record is amazing. It was very difficult for him because he had a lot of people against him and he was under massive pressure.

"Last summer when everyone thought he was leaving, he still came back and put in some great performances. I like players like this. When they are on the floor and everyone is on them, they stand up and prove themselves and I admire that."

Arsenal take on Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in the league this Saturday.