CLAIREFONTAINE. France. July 7 (AFP/ Internet): France's Emmanuel Petit, who won the English Premiership and FA Cup double with Arsenal this season, has a chance to put three trophies in his sideboard with a World Cup win.

Petit, along with French teammate Patrick Vieira and Ray Parlour, were revelations in midfield as the London club earned their second league and cup double this century.

Petit has carried that form through into the World Cup, where he has also been praised by FIFA for his sportsmanship.

His performance against Italy was superb and. despite his persistent thigh strain, pe is set to play alongside Didier Deschamps as a defensive midfielder against Croatia in

Wednesday's semi-final.

The 27-year-old Petit was in limbo at Monaco where he was finding it hard to find form because he was being played out of position.

He started his career at Monaco as a left back, was then put back in central defence, before reverting once more to the left-sided fullback role.

But once he had moved to the London club under fellow Frenchman Arsene Wenger he began to blossom.

"I suffered being used in different positions and it was tough. However now I realise it stood me in good stead. I have now got defensive awareness and positioning which helped nie progress tactically."

At Arsenal he is idolised.

”1 lost two and a half years

because of all my positional problems. But now I'm in top form," he said.

"Manu." as he is known, has made up for lost time with a vengeance.

The death of his older brother, victim of a stroke on the football field in 1987, has been particularly hard on him.

For some time he was finding it hard to pick up the pieces of his life after the tragedy. "1 mourned my brother terribly for two years and I found it difficult to accept his death." Petit said.

Like Deschamps. Petit runs and runs as though he has his tank filled with superb-charged Iml A win on Sunday would mean he cotild finally have a rest knowing he has won football's greatest prize.