Olivier Giroud has spoken about his disappointment and hurt at being left on the bench by Arsene Wenger this season.
The French striker has started only one game – against Ludogorets in the Champions League – while Alexis Sanchez has played as a striker for the Gunners.
Giroud was given a holiday before the start of the season after reaching the final of Euro 2016 and has since struggled to regain his starting place; he is yet to start a game in the Premier League.
He was particularly upset at being left on the bench against PSG for a game in which he eventually picked up both a red card and a toe injury.
“The coach has given me a month of complete holiday, as __with Lolo (Laurent Koscielny). They have the need to offer a real break to the players who went far in the competition in the years of the Euros or World Cup,” Giroud told L’Equipe (thank you to Sport Witness for the translation).
“I had wanted to play again quickly, but he really insisted that I take my time telling me that some players returned to their best level in November.
“I thought I would start (against PSG) because the coach had put me on the bench against Southampton, three days before. But no.
“It is in that moment, on the morning of the match in Paris, that I had a discussion __with him. He said that I was close to returning. Frankly, I was hurt, disappointed.
“This match was finally terrible because I hurt my foot after two minutes of a start, and I couldn’t get in my stride. And I am then sent off.
“The following week, against Chelsea, I take my first ball and the pain returns immediately. A month and a half of absence on arrival…
“If my game time continues to stagnate, it will affect my future selection (for France). I cannot play one game in five. After, we must not make the audit in early November. And my future, I see it at Arsenal for two or three years I hope.”