Mesut Ozil is "not an option Arsenal can consider" and the Gunners should look to move on without him on according to former player Nigel Winterburn.
The German was a notable omission for the club's Premier League squad with Mikel Arteta wielding the axe.
Ozil was not involved for the north Londoners once football resumed after lockdown and that has continued into this season.
Arsenal committed to paying the 32-year-old a mammoth £350,000-a-week when he penned a new deal at the Emirates in 2018.
But Ozil's style does not lend itself to Arteta's philosophy and it was the same scenario when Unai Emery was in charge.
This has led to the World Cup winner being frozen out and Winterburn thinks its time for Arsenal to build without him.
He told FreeSuperTips: “Mesut Ozil is a terrific player and the one thing that he does give you is that he will create chances.
"But at the same time he is not going to give you that defensive side to the game, with and without the ball, which is why he hasn’t been selected.
“When the team aren’t creating chances then Ozil’s name will always come up and we should try and move away from that.
"He is not going to be part of the squad and probably won’t be involved again at the football club, so he is not an option that Arsenal can consider.”
Ozil has not played a single match this season but maintains that he will see out his contract.
Several teams have been linked with his services but his hefty wages have often proved to be a stumbling block.
Arteta is adamant that he gave the former Real Madrid man plenty of opportunities to stake his case before making his decision.
He said: "What I can tell you (is) that I tried my best, I tried to give him as many opportunities as I could.
"And that from my own side, I've been patient, given him opportunities and been fair.
"He's a player that belongs to a football club, he's been a really important player in the last few seasons. I have to respect that, I'm here to make decisions, the best decisions for the team and for the club."
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