Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is training on his own after being stripped of the Arsenal captaincy by Mikel Arteta.
The 32-year-old, who signed a lucrative new contract in September 2020, was disciplined after returning later from a sanctioned trip to France.
That followed a similar disciplinary breach in March when Aubameyang - who was appointed club captain in November 2019 - was late before a North London derby with Tottenham.
Having missed wins over Southampton and West Ham United, Arteta has confirmed the former Borussia Dortmund striker will not be in contention for Saturday’s game away at Leeds United.
Aubameyang’s future is in doubt, particularly given the impressive form of a raft of young players, though the fact he still has around 18 months to run on his lucrative contract may make it difficult to find a willing buyer.
“The decision that we have taken as a club is very clear. It is because we believe that he has failed to be committed at the level that we all expect and agreed. It is as simple as that,” said Arteta of the situation earlier this week.
“I’ve said a lot of conversations and a lot of thought but just with one intention - to protect the club and try to do the best thing as well to defend our people, our players and get the best performance on that pitch which is what we’re here for.
