Premier League legend Alan Shearer believes that Mesut Ozil is facing a fight to show he is worthy of a spot in Unai Emery's side.
Ozil was not in the squad for Arsenal’s clash against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, a game that the Gunners won 4-2.
Arsenal have not been affected by Ozil’s absence as they have won their last three games without the 30-year old.
Shearer feels that Arsenal are doing well at the moment and Ozil will have to show a lot of fight if he is to get back into the team against Manchester United on Wednesday night at Old Trafford.
“If Ozil is unhappy about being dropped, then it will be very interesting to see how that pans out”, Shearer wrote in his column for the BBC.
“He is the highest-paid player at the club, but there is a question mark about whether his work ethic fits the intensity Emery demands from his team and, like every other Arsenal player, he has already been given the message that if he does not do what the manager wants, he will not get in the side.
“The onus is on Ozil to fight his way back into the side and his team-mates, Emery, and the fans will be looking at him and saying 'what have you got?'"
Ozil officially missed the win over Tottenham at the weekend with injury, but Shearer cannot see him playing on Wednesday even if he is fit.
“But, even if he is fit to face United, there is no way he will start at Old Trafford – not after we have seen how Arsenal have done without him in the past 10 days.”
Ozil’s form was inconsistent before he was dropped as he managed just one assist in 10 Premier League appearances.
The former Real Madrid midfielder will hope to feature for Arsenal when they travel to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United in the Premier League.
