Despite early claims this morning (Wednesday) that Mesut Ozil was set to have an extended rest due to back problems, Arsene Wenger has confirmed that the German international will return to training with the rest of the squad on Thursday.

A report in The Times claimed that the 28-year-old had been suffering from an ongoing back problem and been granted permission to go on an extended break in order to return for the Liverpool clash on 4 March.

However, Wenger has spoken to the Standard Sport, confirming that Ozil was in a session on Monday and now has just two days off – not weeks – before returning to training on Thursday.

“He practised in a session at London Colney [on Monday] and then we have two days off – Tuesday and Wednesday,” the boss said.

“We are in on Thursday and he will be in like everybody else.”

It’ll be interesting to see if there has been an underlying back issue going on, since Ozil has appeared a little off since returning from Christmas, but at least if there is, it doesn’t seem serious.

Ozil was spotted in Istanbul, Turkey, after he shared a picture of himself on a plane on his personal Snapchat.