Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has given his backing to striker Olivier Giroud, saying he can "rely" on the France international.
Giroud, 30, has yet to make a start for Arsenal this season after being sidelined by a toe injury he suffered in the 1-1 draw at Paris Saint-Germain.
The forward, who scored 16 Premier League goals last campaign, has come in for criticism in the past, but Wenger said in The Guardian: "I am an admirer of Giroud because he has gone through some tough times and he bounces back.
"When his back is to the wall, he has an answer every time. When I go into a big game, you always think: 'I can rely on him.' You know that when the competition starts, he will be with you."
Giroud has also come under pressure on the international stage but he won over France supporters with his performances at Euro 2016, where he scored six goals on their route to the final.
"Before the competition, the supporters didn't want him," Wenger said. "But he turned them around. That's one of the strengths of Olivier. He is mentally very strong.
"The criticism does knock him. He's not made of metal. He's sensitive but sensitive and strong. Everybody wants to be loved. I've never seen anyone who dreams to be hated. But it is dealing with the fact that it doesn't always go your way that makes a man."