Arteta suggests Arsenal player isn’t in as good condition as his teammates

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has told Football London that Mesut Ozil will find it ‘very difficult’ to even make the squad for the Gunners now.

Ozil seems to have fallen completely out of favour at Arsenal, and he was not even included in the Gunners’ match day squad last night.

Arsenal heavily rotated their side for the League Cup clash with Leicester City, but there was still no room for the German international.

Ozil’s continued omission from the team has led to suggestions that he simply won’t get any game time at Arsenal this season.

And Arteta admitted that the 31-year-old was going to struggle to make his side now, as he isn’t in as good ‘condition’ as the rest of his teammates.

“You can see that the players we are changing, we are using, it’s very difficult every week not for Mesut but for some other players as well to make the squad,” Arteta said. “Every week we try to pick the right players.

“Of course I understand and I respect your questions but I have to try to do my job as fair as possible. I try to select the players that are, in my opinion, in better condition.”

Arteta’s words hardly offer encouragement to Ozil that he has a chance of forcing his way back into contention at Arsenal.

When Arteta first took over it seemed that he was willing to give Ozil another chance, but the playmaker failed to really seize the opportunity and Arsenal now have alternative options.

Arsenal have just signed Willian to play in the number 10 role, and that signing seems to have pushed Ozil way down the pecking order, with Arteta keen to look at alternative options now.