Paul Scholes questions Mesut Ozil's ambition; Arsene Wenger responds

Mesut Ozil (L) gets support from manager Arsene Wenger

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has come out saying that Mesut Ozil took the “easy option” out by signing for Arsenal. Ozil signed for the Gunners in 2013 from Real Madrid for a club record fee.

The German has gone on to win the FA Cup with Arsenal and the FIFA World Cup since, but Scholes has been critical of the 26-year-old’s attitude and underwhelming form off late.

Scholes in an article in the Independent, wrote, “Over the years, the big players who were really ambitious – (Patrick) Vieira, Thierry Henry, Cesc Fàbregas, Robin van Persie – have all left.

“They left for the simple reason that Arsenal are not in it to win league titles any more. Those players have realised that if they want to win championships then they have to move elsewhere.

“It’s why I think Mesut Özil took the easy option joining Arsenal. Since he has been there you cannot doubt his quality but at times he looks like he is going through the motions, however much ground he covers.

“He needs a leader around him to get him going. At Real Madrid he had a chance of winning league titles. At Arsenal that is not on the cards.”

Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger has however defended his player and slammed Scholes for his comments.

Wenger said, “Scholes would have loved to have played with a player like Mesut Özil. [Özil] has the quality and he works a lot harder than his style of play shows.”