Arsenal News: Unai Emery explains Mesut Ozil's omission from Europa League squad against Standard Liege

What's the story?

Arsenal boss Unai Emery has suggested that his young players are more deserving of a place in the Gunners squad than Mesut Ozil, as he explained the midfielder's omission from the team after their Europa League clash against Standard Liege on Thursday.

In case you didn't know...

Ozil was notably absent from the 18-man squad named for Arsenal's UEL match against Standard Liege, a game that eventually saw the North London giants register a comfortable 4-0 win over their Belgian opponents.

New signing Gabriel Martinelli was on target twice, along with Joe Willock and Dani Ceballos, who also found the net to ensure a comprehensive victory for the Gunners.

Ozil, who is the club's top earner, has endured a strained relationship with Emery since the latter replaced Arsene Wenger. He has been snubbed ahead of crucial games - most recently missing out on their Premier League draw against Manchester United as well.

The 30-year-old play maker has only played 142 minutes for the club this season, which amounts to a mere two appearances.

The heart of the matter

Following their win over Standard Liege, Emery explained the reasons behind Ozil's absence from the squad, implying that the midfielder did not deserve a spot in the team.

He said, "I am thinking every time to decide the best players for each match and the best players in the squad to play and to help us. When I decided he shouldn’t be in the squad it’s because I think other players deserved it more."

When asked what Ozil would have to do to get back in the team, he replied, "He needs to continue working. Tomorrow we have training with the players who didn’t play, and on Sunday we have another match, and we are going to decide the same."

"Our target is to win on Sunday against Bournemouth, and we want to carry on our same way in each match."