Arsenal have a received a timely boost in their quest for a Champions League spot after Arsene Wenger said club record signing Mesut Ozil could return for Sunday's trip to Hull.
Ozil picked up a hamstring injury in the Champions League defeat by Bayern Munich last month and Arsenal have only won twice since as their title challenge has ground to a halt.
Wenger took the opportunity to leap to the defence of the £42.5million man, who has had a largely underwhelming season.
Wenger said: 'He had a period where he was tired because he was not used to playing a full season.
'He's a fantastic football players and I would put him on the list to be player of the season next season.
Nacho Monreal is also nearing a return, but fellow left back Kieran Gibbs is out of the clash.
Meanwhile, Wenger spoke of his relief at Everton's shock 3-2 defeat by Crystal Palace on Wednesday night, a results which sees the Gunners cling on to fourth place.
'It is, of course, a big encouragement but there's there's a lot of work to do for us,' he said. 'We have a big game at Hull.
'Mentally we are in better shape than a week ago because we had two important wins and that puts us in a better condition on the confidence front.'
'We wanted Crystal Palace to make a result but you know that in the Premier League it is like that. You can drop points everywhere.'
Wenger also reserved special praise for Hull manager Steve Bruce - who he will meet in next month's FA Cup final - and Palace boss Tony Pulis.
'Steve Bruce has done extremely well,' he said. 'He's one of the remarkable managers of the season because they are safe and Hull have reached the FA Cup final. It's remarkable what he has achieved.
'Steve Bruce and Tony Pulis have done exceptional work, that is for sure. I believe the real job of a manager is to take the best out of the potential of the team.
'The easiest way is always to choose the guy who wins the league (for manager of the year), but it's not always him who has done the best job.'
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