John Barnes insists it makes little sense for Mikel Arteta to recall Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to the Arsenal first-team just because the club is currently struggling.
The striker has been banished from the squad following a disciplinary breach, and he hasn’t been with the group since the end of last year.
He has even been stripped of the captain’s armband and seems to have his work cut out to return to the first team.
When he was first ordered to train away from the group, Arsenal did well. But their goals seem to have dried up now.
This has brought about calls for him to be recalled, but Barnes insists that is not enough reason to bring him back.
The Ex-Liverpool man said via The Daily Mail: ‘Aubameyang coming back into the team depends on whether he wants to do well and has the right attitude.
‘If he doesn’t, there is no point bringing him back into the fold. Even if Arsenal aren’t doing too well, it could make the whole situation worse.’
Just Arsenal Opinion
Auba knows he has had many chances to get his act together and should be doing better.
At his age and with his experience, he shouldn’t be the centre of disciplinary problems.
However, it seems old habits die hard, and the next best step for Arsenal is to offload him