Arsenal legend Paul Merson has stated that Mesut Özil receives unfair criticism due to his style of play.

The the SkySports pundit defended the Arsenal playmaker during an interview with The Sport Review.

“If you’re having a bad time and you don’t run around a lot, people think you don’t care. That isn’t the case,” Merson told the Sport Review.

“For example Robbie Savage was loved everywhere he went. He worked hard. He wasn’t an Ozil.

“If you’re not playing well and you run around a lot, you’ve always got a chance.

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Özil and Sanchez have been two of the best performing Arsenal players this season. The Chilean international has 25 goals and 12 assists in all competitions while Özil has five goals and nine assists.

The 26-year-old has the third best minutes per assist rate in Premier League history. Özil ended the 2014-15 season with his second consecutive FA Cup title.

Arsenal finished the season in third place and will directly qualify to the UEFA Champions League group stages next season.