Wenger defends Ozil treatment

London - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said on Thursday the club had done nothing wrong in allowing record-signing Mesut Ozil to play on during a Premier League defeat at Chelsea despite complaining of a knee problem.

Scans carried out by world champions Germany during recent Euro 2016 qualifiers saw Ozil diagnosed with a "partial rupture of the outer band of the left knee joint".

The former Real Madrid playmaker has subsequently be ruled out for up to two months.

There had been reports veteran French boss Wenger ignored concerns from both Ozil and Arsenal's own medical staff in keeping the player on during an eventual 2-0 loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

But Wenger, speaking ahead of Saturday's game against Hull, said: "He (Ozil) told me that once it was discovered on the scan. He did not tell me anything during the game, I did not even know.

"What happened was that at half-time, just before we went out, the physio told me 'Ozil has a little pain with his knee, but it is not bad'.

"He wanted to go on and I told him 'if you don't feel well, tell me and I will take you off straight away'. He never did that during the whole game, and after I left him on because we were in a position where we needed to score a goal and he can deliver the final ball.

"Then after the game, he went to Germany. With Germany, they thought at the start it was nothing.

"We played on Sunday, on Monday he was off, and on Tuesday they gave him the day off. He was supposed to practise on Wednesday.

"On Wednesday morning, he said he could still not practise.

"They sent him for a scan, and in this scan they discovered that he has a knee ligament injury which is quite serious."

Ozil is not expected to return to action until the start of 2015.

Wenger added: "That is the only positive, that he will get the rest that he had not maybe enough after the World Cup.

"Although I must say, I gave them until August 11, Germany played the final on 13 July, that was a month and should be enough after a big competition.

"He is out for a while now, I think at least six weeks."