Arsenal academy manager Per Mertesacker has suggested that Mesut Ozil’s lack of focus on football may have led to the German playmaker falling out of favour under manager Mikel Arteta.

The midfielder has been left out of the Europa League squad, while he could be omitted from the Premier League squad as well, and Mertesacker feels a change in the player’s personal circumstances may have contributed to him being frozen out:

“A lot has changed away from the field. He got married, has a family… perhaps his focus has changed. Nevertheless, he is still happy and happy to play football. He’s the only player I’ve played with for three teams – Bremen, Arsenal and also Germany. So I’m very sorry that he’s currently in a situation where he’s not really used.”

The situation around Ozil is a very strange one. Arteta played the 32-year-old regularly following his appointment as manager last December but, after the restart in June, he has been MIA.

Ozil has come out and said he is ready to play but, he has barely made the bench, let alone being handed minutes on the pitch. Some suspect that the call has been made to sideline him due to financial reasons but there has never been a definitive statement from either the player or the club addressing what the problem is.