Joachim Low visits Arsenal but Germany coach fails to meet Mesut Ozil

Germany manager Joachim Low did not speak to Mesut Ozil during a pre-planned visit to Arsenal’s training ground yesterday.

Low was invited to the club’s London Colney base by Per Mertesacker, head of Arsenal’s academy, for a meeting but Ozil was not present at the training ground. Low also met Arsenal boss Unai Emery and Germany players Shkodran Mustafi and Bernd Leno

Ozil last month retired from international football when he accused the German Football Association of “racism and disrespect”.

Low has played down suggestions that the 29-year-old midfielder could return to international duty and said last month that he tried to contact Ozil but received no response.

It is believed Ozil’s training schedule meant he was absent from the venue when Low was there.

Low spoke to Mertesacker about academy matters and also had lunch at the training ground. He has argued that Ozil’s claims of racism within the German set-up were “exaggerated”.

Ozil, whose grandparents migrated from Turkey to Germany, said he had been made a target in Germany after he was photographed alongside the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.