Mikel Arteta held crunch talks with five key Arsenal players

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is understood to have held crunch talks with five senior players following his appointment as the club's head coach last month.

The Spaniard has improved the club's performances in the first three games under his guidance and they recently picked up a hard-fought 2-0 win over Manchester United in the Premier League.

According to ESPN, Arteta is said to have spoken with with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Hector Bellerin, Mesut Ozil, Granit Xhaka and Alexandre Lacazette about maintaining particular standards shortly after his appointment.

It is added that the 37-year-old has made it clear that he won't entertain any drop in the performance levels from any player and anyone who fails to meet his demands will be dropped regardless of the reputation.

Arteta has emphasised on playing with a high workrate over the course of 90 minutes and reports have emerged that the players have not been afforded with a day off as he is still working on the club's collective shape.