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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta snaps at Aubameyang questions and provides date for comeback
ARSENAL manager Mikel Arteta masterminded a resounding victory over Southampton on Saturday.
In pictures: Arsenal v Southampton
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta bit back at questions over absent striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after he was dropped from the squad against Southampton following a disciplinary breach. The Spaniard also confirmed when the frontman is set to return to action with a chaotic run of fixtures set to unfold over the coming weeks.
The Gunners delivered their biggest Premier League win of the season on Saturday with a 3-0 triumph over the Saints.
Alexandre Lacazette and Martin Odegaard put Arsenal two to the good after a shaky start, and Gabriel rubber-stamped the three points after the break.
Headlines were made before kick-off, however, when it emerged that Aubameyang had been dropped from the squad altogether for a disciplinary breach.
Arteta was in no mood to discuss the issue at length after the final whistle, although he silently nodded when asked if he would return for Wednesday's fixture with West Ham.
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"You are not going to get anything else out of me about what happens in the dressing room," he said.
"It was a disciplinary breach and that's why he was out of the squad.
"I tried to explain you what it was and I just want to focus on the team and what they did on the pitch.
"From my side, I will never [explain what the breach was]."
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Although Arteta pledged to remain tight-lipped, it was reported by The Athletic that the breach related to a late return from Aubameyang's trip abroad last week.
Allegedly, the striker had permission to go, but his return was later than agreed which had COVID-19 protocol implications.
Thankfully for the Gunners, his absence was not harshly felt against Southampton as they shot up to fifth in the table, one point behind West Ham in fourth.
Aubameyang's drama aside, Arteta found plenty of positives from his team's performance during his post-match press conference.
"I’m very pleased," he added.
"After a difficult period, we had two defeats where I don’t think we deserved to lose the games but we did.
"You could see that the team wanted to keep attacking, hit the post twice, a goal disallowed.
"We started the game a little bit nervy, you could tell that we were carrying that feeling still, but we finished strong."