Former Chelsea goalkeeper Rob Green has highlighted the qualities of Kepa Arrizabalaga on the field, claiming the Spaniard could play as a central midfielder.

The former England No 1 retired at the end of last season after spending a season as a backup stopper for the west London club.

The 39-year-old was reflecting on how modern goalkeeping has changed to encourage those between the sticks be more competent in possession, report the Daily Mail.

And he told BBC Radio Five Live that his former team-mate Kepa, and fellow Blues goalkeeper Willy Caballero, were more than capable of holding their own with the ball at their feet.

When asked what had changed the most between his day and modern the game, Green said: ‘The expectation of playing out from the back and how to do it.

‘He (Kepa) puts the ball down, right foot, left foot, and will ping a perfect pass into the path of the full back whose making a run down the wing.

‘You go wow, he could play in centre midfield.

‘You go back to when someone like Barthez, with United years ago, well he actually plays out in training, Kepa could do that and hold his own no problem.

‘Willy Caballero is also excellent at playing out from the back with his feet.

‘That’s what the expectation is now, and that’s what you get brought up on in academy structures and that’s the way its gone forward.

‘I remember not having the back-pass rule, that’s a) how old I am and b) how much it’s changed.

‘They’ll say: I’ll get one in a thousand wrong or one a season wrong, but the way we’re playing, it’s a fundamental (part) of how we’re going to play and that one a season, yeah, we’ll take that on the chin.’

Green left Chelsea without having played a minute of competitive action but did end the campaign by lifting the Europa League trophy in Baku.