Mesut Ozil has been warned that his position in the team will be decided in the opening ten games of the season by Arsenal legend Nigel Winterburn.
The former Real Madrid ace struggled for consistency last season and was often excluded from Unai Emery's side, with speculation the club will look to move him on this summer.
However, no suitors have emerged for the World Cup winner and Ozil has performed well in pre-season, raising hopes ahead of the new Premier League campaign that is now just over a week away.
Whether Ozil can continue that form into competitive matches remains to be seen though and Winterburn feels it's make or break for Arsenal's former record signing in the opening months of the campaign.
"I love watching Ozil play when he’s at his very best but last season he wasn’t influential in the team and I’m not sure what was really going on," he told 888 Sport .
"Was his mind not right? Was it the demands being put on him? Was it the new training regime? Did he not fit in to Unai Emery’s style?
"This season we will find out very quickly because Ceballos has come in who is a similar kind of player. So we will find out everything we need to know about Emery’s thinking within the first ten games. Whether Ozil can elevate this team to the next level or if Emery is not happy with his contribution.
"He’s a terrific player to watch but when we get caught out defensively his enthusiasm to get back is questioned. That’s why perhaps we need to get him on the ball more in attacking areas but we’re not Manchester City or Liverpool who can dominate the ball a lot."
Arsenal play their final pre-season match against Barcelona on Sunday, before beginning their Premier League campaign on the road against Newcastle United.
