Mesut Özil has said that his time spent on the sidelines following his knee injury last year gave him a chance to address the physical deficiencies in his game.

Özil has covered more distance, scored more goals, provided more assists and improved his sprinting since returning from injury at the start of 2015 according to the official Premier League website.

“It is true, I have to work even harder now in order to reach my goals,” Özil told dfb.de.

“I’m the first to arrive at practise and the last to leave. I am training as hard and ambitiously as I have never done before in my life.

“I gained a kilo in muscle mass, as I go the gym daily now. My body feels more stable and I feel fresher. You definitely need that over here in England.”

The Gunners have won 16 out of the last 20 games in which Özil has featured since returning from injury. Özil has won two Vitality Team of the Month and one PFA Fans Player of the Month awards since the turn of the year.

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Arsenal are currently joint second in the Premier League with Manchester City on 73 points but have a game in hand over the Citizens.

Özil has nine assists and five goals in 28 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions.