Mikel Arteta has praised Granit Xhaka for turning his career around at Arsenal after going through 'a lot of difficult moments' in the past.
Xhaka's time at the Emirates has been far from plain sailing, with the midfielder reacting angrily to being jeered by his own supporters when he was substituted during a game against Crystal Palace in 2019. He was stripped of the captaincy shortly afterwards for his actions.
However, he has since established himself as a key member of Mikel Arteta's starting XI, and capped off his remarkable resurgence by scoring a stunning goal in Arsenal's 3-1 win against Manchester United last Saturday. Arteta has suggested the 29-year-old has matured away from the pitch, and this has helped him become an influential figure on it.
When asked to pinpoint the reasons behind Xhaka's upturn in form, Arteta put it down to 'things that have happened in his private life.'
'He’s a father now, he’s been through a lot of difficult moments but he’s found a lot of support here internally to deal with certain situations.
'His character, how he approaches problems, how he’s willing to change things, to improve constantly to become a better person and a better player, so credit to him for what he's done.'
Xhaka has played every minute of Arsenal's last 12 top flight matches, playing a crucial role in their push for a top-four finish.
That looks likely to remain the case between now and the end of the season, especially with Arteta admitting that Thomas Partey is unlikely to feature again before the Gunners' campaign concludes.
'He’s progressing but he had a significant injury so we don’t expect him to make progress quickly enough to see him again this season,' Arteta said in his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday's trip to West Ham.
There was better news on the fitness of Bukayo Saka, though. The winger was forced off in the latter stages of Arsenal's win over United, but Arteta is optimistic that he will be able to face David Moyes's side.
'Hopefully he will be fine. He had some issues in the final part of the game [against United] but he’s recovered well,' he added.
Arsenal currently hold a two-point advantage over Tottenham in the battle for fourth place as they aim to return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2016/17 season.