sport news Has Unai Emery's patience with Mesut Ozil finally snapped?

It appears Unai Emery's patience with flaky Mesut Ozil has finally reached breaking point.

The Arsenal manager told Ozil to man up, get himself fully fit again and start delivering some decent performances to ensure a satisfactory ending to the season.

Ozil is the club's top earner on £350,000-a-week but is currently out of favour with Emery and has been absent from as many Arsenal teams this season as he has been selected for.

Arsenal manager Unai Emery appears to be running out of patience with flaky Mesut Ozil, telling him to train with consistency and start producing some performances

Arsenal manager Unai Emery appears to be running out of patience with flaky Mesut Ozil, telling him to train with consistency and start producing some performances

German star Ozil has been left out of more Arsenal teams this season than he has played in

German star Ozil has been left out of more Arsenal teams this season than he has played in

Speaking ahead of Arsenal's UEFA Europa League fixture with BATE Borisov on Thursday night, a match they enter a goal down from the first leg, Emery was clear in his message to the German.

'I asked him in our conversations to be consistent, to be available for us in training,' Emery said.

'When you can train with regularity, consistency, you can help us in the games. I looked at him in training and he is like we want. I know he wants it.

'But he needs to be consistent, to be available for training, for the matches.

'Without the injuries, without being sick. Like that, we can see the best Mesut with us. The key is in his hand.'

Whether Ozil will actually be involved against the Belorussians remains to be seen. His absences, for a variety of different reasons, have become a feature of Arsenal's season.

A well wrapped up Mesut Ozil walks out for Wednesday's training with manager Unai Emery 

A well wrapped up Mesut Ozil walks out for Wednesday's training with manager Unai Emery 

Ozil trains alongside his team-mates ahead of Thursday's Europe League game with BATE

Ozil trains alongside his team-mates ahead of Thursday's Europe League game with BATE

What has been clear since the turn of the year, as Arsenal have lost to West Ham and Manchester City in the Premier League, Manchester United in the FA Cup and BATE in the Europa League, is that they could do with Ozil back to his best.

Ozil, 30, missed his first match this season when illness ruled him out of Arsenal's 3-1 league win over West Ham at the end of August. This came after he was taken off for Aaron Ramsey in their 3-2 loss at Chelsea the week before.

He then featured in a number of games, even scoring against Newcastle and Watford, before being rested for the Carabao Cup tie with Brentford as Emery rotated his squad.

But, in a hint of things to come, Ozil suffered a back spasm and missed the 5-1 win at Fulham on October 7.

Earlier that week, he had flown four hours each way to Baku for the Europa League match against Qarabag, which had likely caused the problem or exacerbated an underlying one.

 The German has suffered knee and back problems this season, as well as bouts of illness

 The German has suffered knee and back problems this season, as well as bouts of illness

It has turned into a miserable campaign for Arsenal's highest earner on £350,000-a-week

It has turned into a miserable campaign for Arsenal's highest earner on £350,000-a-week

Ozil absences 

PREMIER LEAGUE

August 25 vs West Ham - illness

October 7 vs Fulham - back spasm

December 2 vs Tottenham - back ache

December 5 vs Manchester United - back ache

December 8 vs Huddersfield - back ache

December 29 vs Liverpool - knee pain

January 1

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