LONDON -- Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has defended Granit Xhaka's character and says the midfielder "completely denies" allegations he racially abused an airline staff member at Heathrow this week.
Xhaka, 24, was questioned by police on Monday evening after he was accused of verbally abusing a British Airlines employee after his friend was told he had missed the deadline for checking in for his flight.
"I've spoken to him about it and he denies the incident completely," Wenger told a news conference on Thursday ahead of Saturday's FA Cup game at Southampton. "He denied what he is alleged to have said."
The incident came just a day after Xhaka was sent off with a straight red card for the second time this season, which had already fuelled a debate about the player's behaviour on the pitch.
Wenger said the sending off in the 2-1 win against Burnley had been "harsh," but acknowledged that Xhaka's tackling technique needs to improve.
"I think he is not naturally a great tackler. In his decision making I think he is quite intelligent on the pitch, but it's more the way he tackles that is not really convincing," Wenger said.
However, the Arsenal boss also said he would not try to find a coach who could teach the midfielder proper technique.
"I would rather encourage him not to tackle, to stay on his feet and that's the best way to deal with it," Wenger said. "Tackling is a technique that you learn at a young age. You can improve it but when you are face-to-face with somebody, it's better you stay up."
Xhaka was hailed for his maturity and leadership skills when he was bought from Borussia Monchengladbach this summer for £30 million, and Wenger said he had no problems with the way the player has represented the club so far.
"I can only talk about him on what I've seen since the start. He's had a fantastic attitude since he arrived here on a daily basis," Wenger said.
"Sometimes you don't know how the players will behave on a daily basis but I must say that he has been absolutely marvellous to handle on a daily basis with his commitment, focus, dedication and I've never heard anything bad said about him."