Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed Arsenal's game with Southampton due to disciplinary reasons and now it's been revealed exactly why.
The Gunners were in a good run of form recently but had lost their two previous games ahead of a Saturday meeting with Southampton, after messing up leads against Manchester United and Everton.
Advert
Aubameyang started on the bench against United and then came on to miss an easy change in injury time to earn Mikel Arteta's team a point.
On Saturday the club captain didn't even make the squad, with Arteta revealing there had been a 'discipline breach' involving the former Borussia Dortmund striker.
According to the Athletic, the forward was given permission to travel abroad, for a personal matter, but he returned to England later than had been agreed.
Speaking ahead of the game, Arteta said, "Unfortunately, [Aubameyang has been left out] due to a disciplinary breach.
Advert
"I think we’ve been very consistent with no negotiables as a team that we have set ourselves as a club, so he’s not involved today.
"Certainly, it’s not an easy situation, a situation that we want our club captain to be in."
Asked if the ban was 'long term' the manager "It starts today."
The late arrival is said to have caused issues with the club's pre match Covid protocols, something they won't be taking lightly especially with rivals Spurs having recently had a disruptive outbreak at the club.
Advert
It's not the first time that the Gabon striker has been removed from Arsenal's squad in recent times, with the club captain missing last season's North London derby.
On that occasion the 32-year-old was late to arrive at the ground, after being stuck in traffic, with one fan spotting the car from his window.
The Gunners won on that game, and once again Arteta's men didn't need their captain on Saturday, as they ran out 3-0 winners.
Stand in leader Alexandre Lacazette opened the scoring, with Martin Odegaard and Gabriel on the scoresheet.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Premier League, Arsenal, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mikel Arteta