Arteta reveals why Aubameyang is not in Arsenal’s squad for Saturday

will face

in the 4th round of the FA Cup on Saturday.

Mikel Arteta

’s team managed to win

in the previous round and they are preparing themselves for a battle in St Mary's Stadium. However, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s name has surprisingly not been included in the team’s squad for the match. In a pre-match interview, Mikel Arteta has revealed why the Gabonese will be absent from the match.

"He had a personal matter in the last few hours and we had to send him back."

Aubameyang scored twice in the Gunners 3-0 win over

in the Premier League on Monday but he will miss Arsenal’s next match as they continue their defense of the FA Cup. The 31-year old has struggled for form throughout the 2020-21 campaign as he has managed to score only eight goals in his 20 appearances across all competitions. Many have criticized Aubameyang’s form during the current season but Arsenal legend

Ian Wright

believes the Gabonese striker has not been given enough chances to score recently.

"People have been talking about his form, signing his contract then clocking off, it’s rubbish, he just didn’t get chances, not chances like that [against Newcastle],"

said Wright.

"We’ve seen him score chances like the second goal where he’s in the middle of the box because Arsenal created something, they haven’t been creating things.

"Now with [Bukayo] Saka’s emergence, Emile Smith Rowe’s emergence, great play from Cedric [Soares], there’s always balls going into the box, chances being made, and he’ll come alive again."

Fans will hope to see Aubameyang in the team’s Tuesday match against Southampton in the Premier League, but at the moment it’s not clear what Arteta has meant by ‘Personal matter’.

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