Unai Emery believes Granit Xhaka is in the right frame of mind to make his Arsenal comeback having missed the club’s last five matches following his outburst against Crystal Palace.
The Switzerland international was stripped of the captaincy after he swore at his own fans having been substituted midway through the second half of last month’s Premier League match.
Xhaka has missed the last five matches in all competitions having steadfastly refused to issue a full apology, while Emery claimed the 27-year-old had ruled himself out of the recent match against Leicester prior to the international break.
The former Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder appeared for his country twice in the last week and after holding talks with Emery upon his return to Arsenal’s training base he is now in contention to feature against Premier League strugglers Southampton on Saturday.
‘He’s coming back better. His mindset is better and this morning I have a very good conversation with him,’ said Emery.
‘My objective is for him to come back helping us and convincing everyone that he is going to be better in the short or long future with us.
‘He’s feeling better and his team is Arsenal now. He wants to come back with the confidence of the supporters.
‘We are going to decide tomorrow (if he plays) but I want to give him confidence and comfort.’
More to follow…
