Arsenal hero Lukas Podolski is urging manager Unai Emery to back Mesut Ozil for the remainder of the season.

Podolski won the World Cup alongside Ozil for Germany back in 2014 before moving on loan to Inter Milan and then Galatasaray permanently in 2015.

He told Four Four Two magazine: "Mesut's a good friend of mine, and a top player who can make the difference on the

"He can get Arsenal back into the Champions League places. They're definitely better with him in the starting line-up - he's got that eye for a special pass.

"They have to finish in the top four. For a club of Arsenal's size, there's no excuse for going three seasons in a row without Champions League qualifications - they need Ozil to help them."