Arsene Wenger warns Mesut Ozil he will have to fight for Arsenal place on return from injury
German playmaker has recovered from a knee injury but must work hard to win back his starting place
ARSENE WENGER has told Mesut Ozil he must fight for his place at Arsenal.
The German international has had a poor start to the season and has been disrupted by injury and ongoing concerns about his future.
Ozil has returned from a knee injury but Wenger insists he will not just walk straight back into the team against Watford today.
Wenger said: “Of course he is important.
“But I have many players, we speak about Jack and we speak about Iwobi.
"They are all players who play in this similar position and it is very interesting because it gives me a lot of opportunities to keep them all focused and refreshed.
“Mesut is working hard now, he is only one week back in training, since Monday he has joined in. He has worked hard.”
Arsenal have been on good form while Ozil has been on the sidelines winning five and drawing once to recover from their torrid start.
Ozil's continued refusal to commit to Arsenal has also caused friction as the World Cup winner's current deal ends next July.
But Wenger is still a fan of the playmaker and insists he is an important part of the team.
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Wenger added: “People go quickly to conclusions.
“Last year we played the last 11 games and won 10.
“We beat Man City in the FA Cup semi-final and Chelsea in the final and he played as well.
"You can always find the example. But it’s true that we have done well recently.
“We live in the world where people have opinions and sometimes they are right and sometimes they are not always proven right on the longer period.
“You need players who have quality and Mesut Ozil is one of the best players in the world.”
