Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted that his fallout with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been 'painful'.
The Gabon international missed the Gunners' 3-0 win over Southampton at the weekend, with Arteta confirming that the 32-year-old was left out after a disciplinary breach.
The club then announced on Tuesday afternoon that Aubameyang would be stripped of his captaincy duties and left out of Wednesday's clash against West Ham United.
When asked if he would consider selling Aubameyang in January, Arteta told his pre-match press conference: "What I can say right now is that I have made this decision that is, unfortunately, a really tough one and obviously if I have to choose I would not like to be sitting here, talking about it but we had to do it and the next one is that for now he is not involved in the squad."
The Spaniard was also asked when the former Borussia Dortmund frontman is likely to return.
"What I can say is that for now as you can understand it has been a lot to digest and a really difficult decision to make so we need a bit of time," he added.
Arteta has previously fallen out with the likes of Mesut Ozil and Matteo Guendouzi, with no way back for either player and the former Manchester City assistant coach refused to give a straight answer when asked if there is any way back into the fold for Aubameyang.
"What I can tell you now is to make the decision that we made is because we were really hurting and it is still like this and it needs a bit of time to heal," he said. "So for now again, he is not involved in the squad."
The Arsenal boss has enjoyed a solid relationship with the prolific centre-forward in the last two years and admitted that the latest twist was painful.
When asked about the pair's relationship, the Spaniard said: "Since I have been here, really really good. That is what is painful."
