MIKEL ARTETA vowed to give Mesut Ozil another chance as he insisted he would not be judged on his past.
The midfielder missed the 0-0 draw with Everton due to injury – but Freddie Ljungberg insisted he would not have been picked even if he was fit.
Ozil infuriated Ljungberg when he kicked his glove in anger when he was subbed off against Manchester City.
And the then-interim boss, who will remain in the Arsenal set up under Arteta, was not willing to give him another chance.
After the draw against the Toffees, he said: “Mesut was injured but I would not have played him anyway. That is my stance.”
And club legend Martin Keown accused the 31-year-old of faking an injury to save himself being benched.
But Arteta has insisted he will give the 350,000-per-week star another chance to prove himself at the Emirates.
When asked about Ozil’s emission for the Everton match, he said: “It’s a question for Freddie.
“I just wanted him to pick the best possible lineup for the game.
“You’re not going to be judged on what you done in the past, positive or negative.
“We will try to put the most competitive team out, we are to be ready and nullify them as much as possible.”
Arteta’s first game in charge of his former club will come against Bournemouth on Boxing Day.
And Ozil looks set to be within a chance to start after Arteta admitted he is a “massive player” for his club.
The German playmaker looked a lot more motivated than usual as he trained with the squad this week.
