Manchester United legend and football pundit Rio Ferdinand blamed Arsene Wenger for allowing Mesut Özil to not work hard enough.

Ferdinand stated that Arsenal do not have a culture which enforces an assiduous work ethic.

“Talking about Özil I think that comes from the manager and the other players. If you see a player at Liverpool Stevie [Steven Gerrard] losing the ball with no intention to cover back there is no way he is coming back to the changing room without an ear bashing,” Ferdinand said speaking on BT Sport prior to the Dynamo Zagreb v Arsenal game.

Arsenal suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat against Croatia outfit Dynamo Zagreb in their opening Group F Champions League game.

Özil is regularly criticised for his languid playing style but the World Cup winner has provided more goal scoring opportunities than any other play in the Premier League in 2015 (76).

The 26-year-old playmaker did not however, track back against Zagreb and completed no tackles, interceptions or blocks against the Croatian giants.

Özil has two assists in five appearances for the North London based side this season. The World Cup winner is expected to start against Premier League champions Chelsea on the weekend.

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