Former Arsenal player and current football pundit Charlie Nicholas explained his theory why head coach Unai Emery has not been playing Mesut Ozil.
Nicholas believes that Ozil is not training hard enough and that is why he has been dropped.
He also made it clear that he would still give the playmaker of Turkish origin a chance.
Nicholas told Sky Sports : “Will he throw Mesut Ozil into this situation?
“I think Unai Emery knows Ozil is not training hard enough, so that is why he is not putting him in the team. He is still there so I would play him.”
Ozil has made just one Premier League appearance this season and despite being match fit for the 1-0 defeat to Sheffield United on Monday he was left out of the squad.
In a recent interview, Ozil made it clear that he wants to see out the rest of his contract at Arsenal – which runs until 2021.
The playmaker is the highest-paid Arsenal player in the squad earning £350,000 per-week.
The Athletic he is going nowhere, saying: “I have a contract until the summer of 2021 and I will be staying until then.
“When I signed the new deal, I thought about it very carefully and said it was one of the most important decisions of my footballing career. I didn’t want to stay for just one or two more years, I wanted to commit my future to Arsenal and the club wanted me to do the same.
“You can go through difficult times, like this, but that is no reason to run away and I’m not going to. I’m here until at least 2021.”
The 31-year-old will be hoping to get back into the side when the Gunners take on Vitoria Guimaraes at the Emirates Stadium at 20:00 on Thursday.
Following the Europa League match the north London based side take on Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
