Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas has moved to nip talk of a rift between himself and fellow midfielder Denilson in the bud.

18586 - Fabregas calms Denilson rift talk

Denilson hit the back pages of the tabloid press on Wednesday when claiming that Fabregas lacks the leadership qualities required to guide Arsenal to silverware.

The Brazilian said: "Fabregas is the captain but he is not a leader. We are lacking leadership and we need leadership to go forward."

The report has filtered through to Fabregas and he has replied on his Twitter page. "Abt [sic] what Deni said. I've been in his situation before, just a misunderstanding. Now lets win tonite! [sic]."

Arsenal are still bidding for trophies on four fronts and face Leeds United in an FA Cup third-round replay on Wednesday night.