Mesut Ozil hints at return to Arsenal side against Liverpool as Mikel Arteta remains coy on midfielder

Midfielder has not featured at all since the Premier League returned last month but posted a Twitter message that left it in little doubt that he is ready if Arteta needs him to face the newly-crowned champions

Mesut Ozil appeared to indicate that he is ready to make his Arsenal comeback more than four months on from his last match, but Mikel Arteta would not give any suggestion that he is ready to recall the midfielder.

Ozil has not featured at all since the Premier League resumed in June, with Arteta giving very little detail in the reasons for his absence, with two appearances as an unused substitute all to show from him since March.

The 31-year-old is into the final 12 months of his £350,000-a-week contract, and speculation is rife that Arsenal are looking to offload the World Cup winner either this summer or when he can leave on a free transfer next summer.

His continued absence has puzzled many, given the salary that he is being paid to sit on the sidelines, with Arteta briefly suggesting a back injury was to blame before hinting that there were other factors at play.

But with Arsenal due to host recently-crowned Premier League champions Liverpool on Wednesday night, Ozil gave his biggest hint yet that he is poised to return to action.

Writing on his Twitter account, Ozil said: “I AM READY”. He added his usual hashtags of #M1Ö and #YaGunnersYa, though added another that read #teamtraining accompanied by a picture of him alongside Shkodran Mustafi during a training session.

The post fueled speculation that Ozil will return to the Arsenal squad - and possibly the starting line-up - for the clash against Liverpool mainly due to the weekend’s FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City, which represents the club’s final chance of securing silverware as well as a possible place in the Europa League next season.

Arteta though once again refused to be drawn on rumours surrounding Ozil and would not elaborate on whether or not he will feature against Jurgen Klopp’s side.

“With Mesut the situation is still the same as it was,” said Arteta, who has maintained that stance for a number of weeks.