Xhaka remains absent for Arsenal
Two days after he suggested Granit Xhaka was close to returning, Unai Emery again left the midfielder out of his matchday squad.
Granit Xhaka's absence from Arsenal's first-team squad continued as he was once again omitted for Saturday's home Premier League game against Southampton.
Xhaka has not played for the club since October 27, when his furious reaction to being jeered by fans following his substitution against Crystal Palace led to him being stripped of the club captaincy.
Having previously cast doubt over whether the Switzerland midfielder would play for Arsenal again, head coach Unai Emery suggested Xhaka was back in contention for a recall on Thursday.
However, Emery has ultimately opted to delay the 27-year-old's comeback.
There was no place for Xhaka in Arsenal's 18-man squad to face Southampton, while the starting line-up showed two changes from a 2-0 defeat to Leicester City last time out, with Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Kieran Tierney returning.
Arsenal went into the game winless in four Premier League matches since a 1-0 home victory over Bournemouth on October 6.
