LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 11: Mesut Ozil of Arsenal looks on during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Hull City at Emirates Stadium on February 11, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Ozil given rest for ongoing back problem

Ozil's been off the pace since Christmas

Feb 22, 2017

When Mesut Ozil was left out of Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal squad to face Sutton United in the FA Cup on Monday night, many suspected the playmaker was just being rested but it appears he’s being suffering from back spasms.

On Monday, the German international shared a picture of himself on a plane via his personal Snapchat ahead of the game, prompting many on Twitter to claim that he’d been given two weeks off.

Screenshot 20170220 150959 e1487760938947 — via Mesut Ozil’s Snapchat, Monday 20 Feb

According to The Times, this is due to a back problem, which Ozil has been suffering from for a while, and the 28-year-old has been granted permission to travel to Turkey to recover. Apparently, he should be ready to face Liverpool on 4 March.

There’s no doubt that Ozil has seemed off the pace since around Christmas, which some – myself included – suspected could be the result of the flu he had. Flu completely drains your energy and can take a while to fully recover from.

However, if he has been suffering from back problems, it could go some way in explaining why he hasn’t been himself.