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Mesut Ozil illness history: Arsenal playmaker missing through sickness is common

Mesut Ozil's immune system has been the source of much scrutiny and a few jokes over the last couple of years as the Arsenal playmaker keeps missing games because of sickness.

When he was left out of the game against West Ham on Saturday it was the latest incident of the German being ill since January 2017 and he's also had several minor injury problems during that time.

The absence has fueled talk of a possible rift between Ozil and new head coach Unai Emery over the midfielder's role in Arsenal's new pressing system, but history suggests that the official explanation of a simple cold is far from unlikely.