Samir Nasri insists Arsenal fans should not consider him a direct replacement for Alexander Hleb and vowed to set the Premier League alight after making a goalscoring debut for the Gunners.

The Frenchman struck just four minutes into his competitive debut as Arsene Wenger's side got their title campaign underway with a stuttering 1-0 win over newly-promoted West Brom at the Emirates.

And Nasri, who joined Arsenal in a £11million move from Marseille last month, believes he will continue to hit the ground running in his first season in English football.

The 21-year-old said: "I came here to make a step forward in my career and I know people expect a lot from me.

"When I arrived, no-one said I was the successor to Alexander Hleb or anything like that. We play very different football, me and Hleb, so I am going to try and bring my kind of game and play well week in week out.

"When I first met the coach, the boss said to me I might need a bit of time - maybe up to six months - to adapt.

"But I felt really good straight away. I have a personal program with the physio to get a little bit stronger because people told me English football is very different from French football, in that there's more contact. I have been working hard and feel really good.

"I couldn't dream of a better start - scoring in my first game after four minutes. Now I have to confirm that week in week out. If I can keep playing like that, it would be brilliant. Everybody gave me a lot of confidence, the coach, the other players and the French guys."

Nasri has a second soubriquet that weighs heavy on his shoulders as he is the latest French starlet to be termed 'the new Zidane'.

Although undoubtedly a promising talent, Nasri has played just 12 times for France and was keen to stress he is not yet the finished article.

"It's flattering of course, to be compared to Zidane but it's a little bit annoying as well. It's a lot of pressure on my shoulders and really hard to be compared to probably the best footballer of the last 10 years.

"When you are young player, you don't tend to play well every week so it is a lot of pressure. I would rather be Samir Nasri than compared to anyone else."