Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has insisted that Mesut Ozil "works very hard" after the midfielder faced criticism for his performance against Liverpool.

The German international, who moved to the Emirates Stadium from Real Madrid last summer, failed to make an impact during the Gunners' 5-1 defeat at Anfield last weekend.

Some have questioned the midfielder's defensive qualities, but Wenger insists that the 25-year-old is still adapting to the Premier League.

"He was like everybody else on Saturday," Arsenal's official Twitter page quotes Wenger as saying.

"He works very hard in training to improve. He works very hard to adapt to the Premier League. For me he's an exceptional player."

Arsenal will take on Manchester United on home turf tomorrow.