Arsene Wenger says Mesut Ozil is determined to make a positive impact in the second half of the season.
The Germany international has not played in the last three months because of a knee injury, but is in line to return to the squad for the weekend’s match against Stoke City.
While Wenger feels the 2014/15 campaign has been “frustrating” for Ozil, the Arsenal manager is backing the 26 year old to return to his best form.
"He is ready. What he is is hungry"
Arsene Wenger on Mesut Ozil
“It's a frustrating season for him as he has not contributed yet,” the boss said. “It was not a convincing start. He played six games, scored one goal against Aston Villa.
“What we pay for today is our slow start of the season because in the first six games of the season we won two games but we dropped too many points.
“There is now an opportunity to come back into the team and contribute to the team. When you are a football player you want to play games.
“He is ready. What he is is hungry. They come back from the World Cup and when you come back having won the World Cup, even if I gave them the holiday they needed, the hunger is a bit artificial.
“You have to be frustrated from competition and slowly get back to realise how much you miss it to come back to normal. I had that before with former players.
“Today he looks hungry - he worked extremely hard to come back. He really pushed himself to the limit of what you can absorb physically.”
Mesut Ozil celebrates the opening goal against Villa
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