Arsene Wenger has hit back at Paul Scholes following the former England midfielder ’ s criticism of Mesut Ozil . Manchester United legend Scholes has accused the £42.5million man of ‘ going through the motions ’ during his time with the Gunners in comments made to a national newspaper . But the Arsenal manager has defended his record signing , saying : ‘ It ’ s a wrong statement . He works very hard and he ’ s a great player . A player like Paul Scholes would have loved to play with Ozil . Mesut has a point to prove and he knows that . Paul Scholes hit out at German playmaker Mesut Ozil by insisting he took easy option when he joined Arsenal . Arsenal ace Ozil has scored four goals during the course of the current campaign . Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has leaped to Ozil 's defence by hitting back at former United ace Scholes . ‘ I believe he has the quality , he puts a lot of effort in to help the team and he works much harder than his style shows . ‘ You can be cheated a little bit by his style of play , because he is fluid , easy , subtle and he does not look like he puts the effort in , but he does. ’ Meanwhile , Wenger has launched a staunch defence of summer signing Danny Welbeck as the forward prepares for his Manchester United return . After arriving at the Emirates Stadium intent on playing as a central striker , the England international has found himself playing out wide again , a position he found frustrating during his time at Old Trafford . He has scored seven goals since arriving from United in August — three of those coming in a Champions League win over Galatasaray . But ahead of Monday ’ s FA Cup quarter-final , Wenger insists Welbeck has not been a £16million flop . Wenger and Ozil in training at London Colney ahead of their FA Cup clash against Manchester United . Ozil has divided opinion among Arsenal fans and the wider public since arriving in England . Wenger also defended former Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck 's impact at Arsenal . ‘ He ’ s very important and has played many games since the start of the season , ’ said Wenger — who confirmed central defender Gabriel will miss up to three weeks with a hamstring injury . ‘ If you check the statistics you will see ( the suggestion Welbeck doesn ’ t play often ) is wrong . He ’ s one of the players who has played the most games for us , but not in the last couple of games . Wenger also spoke to Sportsmail ’ s Martin Keown in an interview for the BBC ’ s Football Focus , to be broadcast on Saturday . In it , the Arsenal manager , who has won the FA Cup five times , discussed his favourite memories of the competition and which of the wins meant most to him . Wenger said : ‘ Maybe the first one against Newcastle was the best because it was when we won the double in 1998 . I remember absolutely everything about that day because it was at Wembley . When I was a kid in France I saw the cup finals . For me to come from a little village and go for the first time to Wembley was something special . It was a great old stadium , the soul was there , the grass was special. ’ Scholes believes the likes of Manchester United 's Robin van Persie left Arsenal because they were ambitious . The likes of Cesc Fabregas and Thierry Henry also left Arsenal to add to their personal trophy collection . But when asked about his collection of medals , Wenger admitted he cared little for them . He said : ‘ I don ’ t even know where they are . Maybe I will regret it . I would like to think I get more out of the human side of my career . ‘ I prefer to have a box of memories than a box of medals . What is interesting is that you can have an influence on people ’ s lives . They can have a big influence on you as well. ’ Arsenal face United on Monday and Wenger enjoyed many classic cup ties against Sir Alex Ferguson ’ s side , but he said the pair ’ s frosty relationship had thawed in recent years . ‘ I am happy to see him now , ’ said Wenger , ‘ more than before because we have gone through some different periods . In the end it became more respectful and of course he was not always objective in defending his team . Nor was I ! That created disagreements . ‘ Now we are happy to have dinner together and a good glass of wine and rise above the differences. ’ But Monday ’ s tie doesn ’ t please him . ‘ I wanted to play at home . But fantastic game or not , what is important is that you go through . It would have been better at home . Now it is what it is , you want to qualify for the semi-final . ’
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has hit back at ex-United ace Paul Scholes . Scholes claimed Mesut Ozil took easy option to join Arsenal from Real . Former England captain and Manchester City defender says he is not surprised by the move as it was a mutual decision between both parties.