Flamini hails Ozil as ‘one of the best’

Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has been described as ‘one of the best’ by teammate and close friend Mathieu Flamini.

Ozil has been in the best form of his career this season and picked up two December awards, both the PFA Fans’ Player of the Month as well as the Gunners award for Player of the Month – typifying what was a fantastic 2015 for the German.

The 27-year-old has picked up a stunning 16 assists in the Premier League this campaign, while adding somewhat of a goalscoring touch with strikes against Manchester United, Norwich City and Bournemouth.

Flamini says Ozil is ‘one of the best players’ he has ever had the privilege to play alongside.

I’m very pleased for him.

We all knew he was a top player but I’m glad he’s proving it every game. It’s very important to have him on our side because, as you can all see, he can make the difference at any time.

He has been giving so many assists and has been making so much difference in the past few games, so it’s a pleasure to play next to him and it’s also a pleasure to watch him on the pitch.

His vision is something that you don’t find very often, so he’s easily one of the best players I’ve ever played with.

The Frenchman and Ozil are well-known for their bromance and Flamini admitted that the two are very close friends and spend a lot of time together both on and off the football pitch.

We are close friends and we have a good time on and off the pitch. That’s very important because, if you want to be able to perform, you have to feel happy in your head and feel confident off the pitch.

I believe he is [happy] here and we have such a great atmosphere here that it makes it very easy for him to feel comfortable.

It’s likely both Flamini and Ozil will be rested this weekend when the Gunners take on Sunderland in the third round of the FA Cup ahead of their game against Liverpool midweek in the Premier League.