Gary Neville challenges Mesut Ozil to maintain his class in Alexis Sanchez’s absence

Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville believes that Mesut Ozil has to remain at the top of his game in the coming seasons after penning a new 3-year deal at Arsenal which is supposedly worth £350k-a-week to ensure that the Gunners stay competitive in the future, after Alexis Sanchez departed the club for Premier League rivals Manchester United.

Sanchez jumped ship to United in the January transfer window in a straight swap deal which saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan move the other way to north-London, but although the reality of losing the Chilean was a ‘blow’, the former ‘Red Devils’ full-back insists that maintaining the German play-maker’s services is ultimately a titanic ‘positive’ for Arsene Wenger.

Ozil, having netted 4 goals in 21 appearances as well as providing 6 assists for his teammates, is in fine fettle currently despite his club’s detrimental performances on the turf, although Neville – subject to a report provided by Metro – is eager to see a more driven, tenacious side to the midfield magician’s weekly exploits.

“Losing Alexis Sanchez [to Manchester United] was a blow, so to get Ozil sorted is positive for them.” He admitted.

“But he now needs to perform at the level he has been performing in recent months for the next few years, to get Arsenal the trophies they need and to get them back up into that top four.”

Now recognised as Arsenal’s undisputed provider and composer in the centre of the park, Ozil would presumably understand the importance of living up to his lofty salary, as now that he’s a top earner at the Emirates, the criticisms will come just as frequently as the plaudits if he’s to buckle when Wenger needs him stand strong the most.