Ozil Set to Miss Huddersfield Clash, Should Return in Time For Arsenal vs. Man United
Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil will miss the club's Premier League clash with Huddersfield Town on Wednesday night, but is set to return from illness in time for the weekend's visit from Manchester United, report the Mail.
Ozil was absent for Sunday's win at Burnley - a victory which came in injury time thanks to a successfully converted penalty from Alexis Sanchez - and the three points took the Gunners back above rivals Tottenham and into the Premier League's top four.
The German international has been criticised for failing to perform for a large chunk of the season so far, but his performance in the recent north London derby win over Spurs served as a reminder to his quality.
Arsenal though are struggling to tie the player down to a new contract, and there's a growing possibility that he could leave the Emirates on a free transfer in 2018. Saturday's opponents United are one of the clubs believed to be in prime position to lure him away from London, given the relationship between Mourinho and the player.
Ozil's current manager, Arsene Wenger, admitted after the win at Burnley that he wasn't sure if Ozil would play in the clash with the Terriers, but it's now fairly certain that he'll miss out.
Wenger said at the time: "I don’t know, I haven’t even seen him. The doctor came to see me and said he [Ozil] had to travel back home. He was in the hotel with us. He travelled up with us, then travelled back. We brought (Ainsley) Maitland-Niles up, who arrived at 1pm because we had only 17 players.
"How bad is he? Will he be available for Wednesday? Certainly he will be short [of fitness] for Wednesday. We will have to see what it is exactly."
