The Southampton boss worked with the French forward at Nice and believes he, like Manchester United's enigmatic striker, needs to feel important
Claude Puel considers Hatem Ben Arfa to be ‘an exceptional player’ who is capable of operating at a similar level to Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The French coach worked with the enigmatic forward at Nice in 2015-16 before both departed for pastures new.
Puel is now in charge at Premier League outfit Southampton while Ben Arfa linked up with Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent.
The 29-year-old has found game time hard to come by this season, making just four top-flight starts under Unai Emery.