Mikel Arteta: I had to convinve Granit Xhaka to stay at Arsenal

The Swiss midfielder was named club captain last summer, but was stripped of the armband after reacting angrily to fans jeering him in a home match against Crystal Palace in October.

As well as making Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang skipper, former coach Unai Emery left Xhaka out of the first team for an extended period but Arteta says he always saw the 27-year-old as a key man in the middle of the park.

"I had to convince him he had a future, he had a place here and he could enjoy his career and his family could be happy here," Arteta is quoted as saying by the Mirror.

"He is a player that when he commits he goes 100 per cent. He has worked really hard and he has won everybody’s trust again.

"I think he’s started to enjoy it again and, normally, when you have those two aspects together – that’s when players perform at the highest level."

While Xhaka has not always been popular with fans, he has been a standout performer for the Gunners since the Premier League's restart in June and Arteta hopes that he receives the praise he is due from the stands when supporters return.

"Hopefully, he can enjoy that when the fans are back in our stadium. People know better than me what happened and how much it affected all sides when that issue occurred. When I arrived here I had a very high opinion of him and knew him really well."

Arsenal take on Watford in their final Premier League game of the season on Sunday before meeting Chelsea in the FA Cup final next Saturday.