Carlos Vela was axed from Arsenal's squad for their Champions League defeat at Barcelona for losing his passport, it has been revealed.
The Mirror says Vela, 21, was due to travel to Barcelona and was likely to have been on the bench in the Nou Camp but his blunder has enraged Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.
Wenger insisted that Vela was fully fit and was left out of the 18 man squad because of "competition for places" when quizzed by Mexican TV at the press conference in the Nou Camp on Monday.
Vela, a second half substitute against Wolves on Saturday, could now face disciplinary action from Arsenal who were forced to call-up young rookies Fran Merida and Craig Eastmond for the Barcelona trip with the squad already decimated by injuries.
Vela's agent Eduardo Hernandez said: "Carlos did not find his passport. He didn't mislead the club, he just didn't know where the document was."