Mesut Ozil decided to cut short his holiday to return to Arsenal after hearing about Unai Emery’s training sessions from his teammates.

The German, who has endured a tough summer, will be looking forward to proving his numerous critics wrong when the new season kicks off.

Germany’s early elimination from the World Cup means that Ozil can play a far bigger part in Arsenal’s pre-season and that can only be a good thing for both the player and the squad.

According to Goal’s well-connected Chris Wheatley, Ozil cut his holiday short to return to the club after speaking with his teammates and learning about Emery’s sessions.

What he learned about them, Wheatley does not say.

Large sections of the UK media have waged a war against Mesut Ozil since he signed for Arsenal in 2013. They have been incessant in their criticism of him and its insidious nature has tarnished how the playmaker is perceived across the planet.

After a disappointing World Cup, which Germany seem to be holding Ozil solely responsible for, Emery delivered a message to him at his first pre-match press conference.

The Mail reported Emery’s quotes as: “We are here to help everyone and Mesut is very important.”

“Last year was difficult for everyone, not only Mesut. Now it’s a new way. Mesut is on holiday and I want him to be calm, then when he comes back to start hard.”

sun ozil headline 14 july 2018 2
The S*n

While the S*n reported these quotes: “The German national team didn’t get the results they wanted but today Mesut is on holiday and I want him to relax so he can start with a good mentality when he comes back to us.

“I want him to be tranquil and calm when he comes back and ready to start hard.

 “I want to work with him in a new way and with an ambition to help use his quality to get better with the team.

“Mesut is a very important player for me and we want to help him to be fine with us.

“But last season was a difficult time for everyone, not only for Mesut.

“The team finished sixth in the Premier League and that is not the position we want.

“So now we will have a new way for all the players because I want a team with confidence, personality, intensity and aggression, to be the protagonists in every match.”

As you can see, there is a significant difference between what Emery said and the headline the S*n went with. This matters because most people only read the headline and that’s what helps form their opinions. Looking across the mainstream UK media, the S*n were the only ones to take this angle with the rest portraying the positivity in Emery’s message.

People often also ask why I care what the S*n says. I care because it’s really important.

You might not believe a word you read in that rag, but millions of people do and it is important that their bulls*it is challenged.

Ignoring it won’t make it stop. This probably won’t either, but it’s better than just pretending it doesn’t exist and hoping millions of others do the same.