Mesut Ozil Injury: Updates on Arsenal Star's Hamstring and Return

Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil will miss the Gunners' clash with West Bromwich Albion on Saturday due to a hamstring problem.

His absence from the starting XI was confirmed by the club's Twitter account ahead of the game:

Ozil has been almost entirely injury-free over the last two seasons at the Emirates, missing only four Arsenal matches in 2016-17 through illness. He was an absentee in late December with the flu before missing the Gunners' crucial 3-1 defeat to Liverpool on Mar. 4 with an unspecified illness.

Although a quick recovery is preferable, the Germany international has not been as influential this season as in years gone by.

In fact, his declining impact has fuelled rumours that Ozil may leave the club in the near future. His contract expires at the end of the 2017-18 campaign, and Barcelona are believed to be interested in his services, per John Cross for The Mirror.

Arsenal are still hopeful of qualifying for next season's Champions League, and with a thin squad, their task is made more difficult by Ozil's hamstring problem. The German will need to make a speedy recovery to prevent the Gunners' campaign from ending with a whimper.