Per Mertesacker: Mesut Ozil will shine for Arsenal next season

Arsenal splashed the money this summer in bringing the talismanic Mesut Ozil to the Emitrates

Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker believes his fellow countryman and teammate, Mesut Ozil, will shine for the north London club next season.

Ozil was signed for a club record £42.4 million from Real Madrid last summer and hit the ground running. However, tiredness and poor form fell hand-in-hand and the critics soon got on his back.

Mesut Ozil’s dip in form was also not helped by some niggling injuries but he has now returned from his latest setback, a hamstring injury he sustained against Bayern Munich.

With just a few games left of the season, Mertesacker – who came to blows with Ozil against Manchester City earlier in the season – has faith that he will come good next season.

“It’s very important to understand the differences between the leagues,” Mertesacker told Arsenal Player.

“Mesut came from La Liga and it’s quite difficult to play there. I think he has adapted well but there is more to come from him. I think the second season will be much better for him because he’s a fantastic player.

“He has shown some great skills but he needs to be more consistent, which makes a difference at the end. Sometimes it’s good to get criticism with the negative points… if you are intelligent enough, and he is an intelligent footballer. I think he will sort that problem out.

“It’s similar to myself when I got my injury in the second part of my [first] season, and after I came back even stronger because then I realised what is at stake.

“I think for Mesut it was good to get a little rest to be ready for the last few games for us, then the World Cup and then another season. I think with a pre-season ahead of him, there’s more to come from him.”