Arsenal boss, Mikel Arteta, has claimed he left Mesut Ozil of the squad that travelled to Manchester City "for tactical reasons".
Ozil was left in London, as the Gunners lost 3-0 at The Etihad.
Before Wednesday's game, he had played in all of Arsenal's matches since Arteta arrived in December.
The German playmaker also featured in friendlies against Championship sides Charlton and Brentford last week.
However, Ozil was not included the 22-man squad which Arteta selected for the trip to Manchester.
When asked why Ozil wasn't selected, Arteta told Sky Sports: "It was a tactical reason."
In a subsequent interview, he added: "I'm going to select the players for the day that we believe as staff that are the best for the day and that's it."
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