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.'
