Mikel Arteta tight-lipped on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang due to "privacy matter"

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has refused to disclose any more details regarding Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's continued absence.

The former captain was stripped of the armband last week after what the club called a 'disciplinary breach'.

In light of the decision to replace him as skipper, Arteta has made Aubameyang unavailable for selection and has now missed the last three Premier League games.

Without the Gabon international Arsenal have picked up nine points in the space of eight days, scoring nine goals in the process.

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The latest of those victories was a 4-1 win over Leeds United at Elland Road, with Gabriel Martinelli (x2), Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe on the scoresheet.

But after the victory, attention quickly turned back to the club's highest earner, with Arteta asked about the situation moving forward.

However, the Spaniard remained coy on his current standing within the squad, claiming he will continue to respect what he labelled a "privacy matter".

"Aubameyang wasn't involved for today's game," he told Sky Sports. "There is a privacy matter that I have to respect and from my side this is what you're getting.

"I have tried to be as clear as possible, but there is a privacy matter as well that I have to respect and I've always done that.

"From my side, that is all you are getting."

In Aubameyang's absence, Martinelli continued to impress and notched his fourth goal in his last six Premier League games, also registering two assists in that timeframe.

"Huge," Arteta said of the Brazilian's influence in the young Arsenal dressing room. "That's why you have to prepare a player.

"You can't throw in a player when he's not ready. He has so much still to improve. He's very humble. His big passion in life is football."

Victory in Yorkshire saw the Gunners move five points clear of West Ham in fifth and after a number of their rivals saw their game postponed, the Arsenal boss admitted he was happy to just have points on the board.

"We are there now and still there is a long season to go ahead with a lot of unpredictable things that are going to happen.

"The points now we have them and the rest they have to have them."