Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Arsene Wenger defends Mesut Ozil after Paul Scholes criticism - 'he would have loved playing with the Arsenal playmaker'

Scholes said in his Independent column that Ozil was 'going through the motions'

Tom Sheen
Friday 06 March 2015 11:43 GMT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Arsene Wenger has defended record-signing Mesut Ozil in the wake of criticism from Independent columnist Paul Scholes.

The Manchester United legend wrote this morning that Ozil, who cost £42.5million last summer, looks like he is "going through the motions" and was critical of this Arsenal team that lacked a leader in the mould of Patrick Vieira or Tony Adams.

But speaking at his press conference this morning, Wenger leapt to the defence of the German, saying his unhurried style of play makes him an easy target.

"It is not fair," said Wenger when asked at his press conference about the column.

'Scholes would have loved to play with Ozil,' says Wenger
'Scholes would have loved to play with Ozil,' says Wenger (Getty Images)

"A player like Paul Scholes would have loved to play with Mesut Ozil. He has the quality and he works a lot harder than his style of play shows.

"We are in a job where you have to prove a point, he knows that. He works much harder that his style shows."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in