Arsenal legend Kanu insists Arsenal made a mistake in selling Alex Iwobi to Everton.
The Gunners academy graduate joined the Toffees in a £40million deal last month.
He made 149 appearances for Arsenal, but fell down the pecking order following the £72million club-record signing of winger Nicolas Pepe.
Iwobi has made an impressive start to life at Goodison Park, scoring in two of his first three games.
And Kanu, who won two Premier League titles with Arsenal between 1999 and 2004, told Goal: “I would say they made a mistake, 100 per cent. Why they let him go, I don’t know.
“He’s a boy who, in and out, is Arsenal. He always wanted to do his best for the club. He loves the club, but not only that he can play football.
“What he brings week in, week out, the fans need to appreciate that.
“I think he is still young and those are the type of people you want in the team, people who grew up here, who know everything about the club and wants to die for the club.
“He was one of them, so for us to lose him and to let him go, was a shock. I couldn’t really believe we did it, but that’s football.”
Iwobi moved to Everton in a late transfer deadline day deal after the Toffees failed to sign Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha.
And Kanu says he would have convinced Iwobi to stay at the Emirates if he had known about Everton’s interest earlier.
He added: “It was a surprise to everybody because it happened right at the end of the window.
“If I knew earlier, I could have said to him not to go and that it was better for him to stay.
“I would have said that there was no need for him to go because at Arsenal he will still play. He’s that good and he needs to know that.
“I think Arsenal would have been the best place for him because it’s a big club and you want to play in a big club and in Europe. Those are the games you want to play.”
LIVE on talkSPORT
Check out all the live commentaries coming up across the talkSPORT network this week
- England vs Kosovo (Tuesday, 7:45pm) – talkSPORT
- Derby vs Cardiff (Friday, 7:45pm) – talkSPORT 2
- Liverpool vs Newcastle (Saturday, 12:30pm) – talkSPORT
- Fulham vs West Brom (Saturday, 12:30pm) – talkSPORT 2
- Tottenham vs Crystal Palace (Saturday, 3pm) – talkSPORT 2
- Norwich vs Man City (Saturday, 5:30pm) – talkSPORT
- Huddersfield vs Sheffield Wednesday (Sunday, 12pm) – talkSPORT 2
- Barnsley vs Leeds (Sunday, 12:30pm) – talkSPORT
Click Here: NRL league Jerseys