Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno admits being axed by manager Mikel Arteta this season left him "bitter".

The 30-year-old started his fourth season at the Emirates as No.1 but after the Gunners lost their first three Premier League games and conceded nine goals, Arteta handed the gloves to Aaron Ramsdale, newly-signed from Sheffield United for £24million.

"It was a setback and a bitter moment," the Germany international told Spox. "But that's sport, you have to accept that. It wasn't easy, but I couldn't feel sorry for myself, I wanted to attack again immediately. I don't want to say I was a pawn, but when the results aren't right, sometimes things happen quickly in football.

"The coach wanted to set a new impulse - and then the [improved] results came. That was bitter for me, because I had held up well before that. I had never experienced anything like that in my career before. But I looked ahead. My ambition is to always play, I know what I can do. I'm not 20 anymore, where I could say: 'I still have time'."

While Leno has come to accept the decision, he initially felt frustrated with Arteta.

"In the end, he said that the results weren't right and that he wanted to bring in new players. And when the results are good, it is of course logical that you don't change so much in a well-established team," the former Bayer Leverkusen star explained.

"It was clearly communicated to me that it had nothing to do with my performance and was therefore difficult to accept at first. I had always played well in the years before and was hardly ever injured. That hits you hard. But as I said, there's no reason to feel sorry for yourself. You have to look ahead and keep working on yourself. That's what I did."