Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta suggests that Mesut Ozil has until December to prove that he can have a long-term future at the Emirates Stadium.
Ozil has not made a single appearance for the Gunners since the resumption of action, resulting in the playmaker spending over seven months on the sidelines.
With less than a year remaining on his contract, Arsenal had hoped that the 32-year-old would find a new club during the summer transfer window.
However, Ozil remained in North London, leading to Arteta to challenge the Germany international to fight for his place in the squad.
Addressing how he left Ozil and Sokratis Papastathopoulos out of his Europa League squad, Arteta told reporters: "I wanted to tell them face to face before releasing the squad.
"I explained the reasons why and the numbers we had. It was really difficult for me to tell them - but this is the restriction and rules.
"They have to respect that decision and try to train the best possible way, help the team when they can. Then we will see what happens in December."
Arteta is yet to reveal whether either player will feature in his 25-man Premier League squad, which must be confirmed in the coming days.
Darren Plant
