Mesut Ozil Will Feature For Arsenal When He Can Give His Best: Mikel Arteta

Mikel Arteta will select Mesut Ozil again for Arsenal when he believes the player can "give his best" on the pitch following the German's omission against Manchester City.

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Ozil was surprisingly left out of the Gunners' squad for Wednesday's 3-0 defeat to the reigning Premier League champions as the top-flight season resumed amid the coronavirus pandemic. The former Real Madrid playmaker was not even on an extended bench despite teams being able to name nine substitutes for the rest of the 2019-20 campaign.

Arteta had previously picked the 31-year-old on a regular basis since taking charge and will have no problem recalling him for duty, once he believes Ozil is primed for action again.

"I have been very open with Mesut from day one. Since I joined, I thought that he was fit and he was willing and he wanted to perform at the level he can do," Arteta told the media on Thursday.

"He has played every game with me, I think. So that it is. The moment I see that he is ready again to do that, I will treat him like anybody else.

"I think I have been more than fair with him, and I think he has responded in many games the way I want. That's it."

Asked during the conference call to elaborate on why Ozil was not ready for the City game, the Arsenal boss replied: "There's a lot that's happened to him in the last few weeks and I have to respect the time for every player. Sometimes they need a little bit of time.

"It's been difficult preparation the last two months to get players ready and again. I'm the first one who wants Mesut at the best. I'm going to put him on the pitch when I think he can give his best."

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