Vermaelen vows to ‘give everything’ to win back his Arsenal place

Thomas Vermaelen has vowed to win back his place in the Arsenal side after being dropped for the Gunners’ victories over Bayern Munich and Swansea.

The Arsenal captain was forced to watch from the bench as the central defensive partnership of Per Mertesacker and Lauren Koscielny kept successive clean sheets in his absence.

However, the 27-year-old insists that he is not worrying about losing his place and instead promised to “give everything” to win it back.

“It’s just something that happens in football, especially when you play for a big club,” Vermaelen told Arsenal’s official matchday programme.

“I always want to play, of course, but the boss has big decisions to make and puts the team on the pitch that he thinks will win the game. It worked on both of those occasions, and each time I was delighted that we won.

“I’m fighting to win my place back, and nothing will change my mentality or the way I work – I will give everything every day, as I have throughout my career.”

Vermaelen added: “When I was with the national team recently people were asking me questions, but there’s no drama.

“I’ve played many games in my career, and spending two on the bench does not mean the world is on fire. You can’t be surprised by these things; the only thing to do is keep going and make sure you come back strongly.”