Arsenal legend Ian Wright believes Mesut Ozil will be ‘worried’ ahead of the North London derby after Unai Emery benched the German last weekend.
The £350,000-a-week star was placed on the bench and was an unused sub in last Sunday’s 2-1 away victory against Bournemouth.
The decision from Emery to drop Ozil drew some attention and when asked why he left out the 30-year-old, the Spaniard suggested that he had doubts over the midfielder’s ability to keep up with the ‘physicality and Intensity’ that Bournemouth possessed.
Although Wright recognised Emery’s decision to bench Ozil, the former Gunner believes the German will be worried by his manager’s assessment of him.
In an interview in The Times, Wright said on the matter:
‘Unai Emery’s words were admirable. What is great is Unai has recognised that and made a decision.
‘It sends a message to the dressing-room that you need to pull your weight. It is a worry for Ozil.
‘He is our best player, you want him enthused.
‘Arsenal can’t afford to have a player of that calibre on the bench as Henrikh Mkhitaryan is trying to find form.
‘That is too much for Arsenal to carry.’
With the North London derby tomorrow at the Emirates, it will be interesting to see if Emery decides to bench Ozil once again for the very same reason.
