Mikel Arteta says the internal issue involving Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been “resolved” but has warned that the forward must earn his place back in the Arsenal team.
Aubameyang was left on the bench for Sunday’s north London derby clash with Tottenham after breaching pre-match protocols, with the Gunners subsequently earning an impressive 2-1 victory in his absence.
The Gunners boss has revealed that the striker won’t face any further punishment ahead of the Europa League meeting with Olympiacos, but stopped short of confirming whether he will play a part in the second leg tie.
Asked if he has closed the matter with Aubemayang behind the scenes, Arteta told his press conference:
”Yes. We talked, everything has been resolved in a really positive way. So we move forward.”
Pressed on whether the Gabon international will come straight back into his team, the Spaniard responded:
“No, everybody has to obviously perform at the highest level to earn his place in the team and there is no exceptions there. We will try to put out a really competitive team to try and win the game.”