Unai Emery claims outcast Mesut Ozil does not deserve to play for Arsenal and urges him to work harder
UNAI EMERY has delivered a damning assessment of Mesut Ozil and told him: "You don't deserve to be in my side."
Ozil has been frozen out at the Emirates this season despite rejecting the suggestion from the club that he could leave on loan last summer.
The 30-year-old has made just two starts so far during the current campaign as boss Emery ignores the fact he is the highest paid player at Arsenal on £350,000-a-week.
And after he again failed to even make the bench for the Europa League win over Standard Liege, Emery produced a stark message to his out of favour superstar.
The Gunners manager said: "I am thinking every time to decide the best players for each match and the best players in the squad to play and to help us.
"When I decided he shouldn't be in the squad it's because I think other players deserved it more.
"He needs to continue working. Tomorrow we have training with the players who didn't play, and on Sunday we have another match, and we are going to decide the same.
"Our target is to win on Sunday against Bournemouth, and we want to carry on our same way in each match."
The start of the season saw Ozil shaken by the armed attack he suffered along with team-mate Sead Kolasinac.
That understandably left the Germany star distressed, while he has also been struck by a couple of niggling injuries.
But even when fit he has not been able to gain the trust of his manager, who last season voiced concerns over Ozil's ability to fit into his way of playing.
His appearances this season have been limited to a start in the Premier League draw against Watford which saw him substituted on 71 minutes.
And the only other was in the 5-0 Carabao Cup win at home to Nottingham Forest, when he was again brought off on 71 minutes.