'He can't deal with it' - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang brutally lays into Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta in leaked footage

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has slammed his former manager Mikel Arteta and claimed he "can't deal" with big characters.

After helping Arsenal win the FA Cup under the Spaniard, a breach of discipline in December saw Aubameyang stripped of the Arsenal captaincy.

He was then continually left out of matchday squads and found himself completely frozen out until he eventually sealed a late January switch to Barcelona.

Arteta, who has Arsenal looking like title challengers once again, has not been afraid to make big decisions and ostracised Mesut Ozil.

But, in footage doing the rounds on social media, Aubameyang has called out his former boss, saying: "Big characters and big players...he can't deal with it. He needs some young players who don't say anything."

Arteta has placed an emphasis on younger players at the Emirates but the approach is now taking shape.

Aubameyang went to Barca and scored 13 goals in 24 games in all competitions but ended the short stint and returned to English football with Arsenal's London rivals Chelsea, taking the No.9 shirt.

Image: Alamy

He scored on his Premier League debut for the Blues against Crystal Palace last week.

When unveiled as a Barca player, Aubameyang opened up about the "complicated" situation he found himself in at the Gunners.

"My last few months at Arsenal were complicated, that's football sometimes," he said.

"For my part, I never wanted to do anything wrong. My problem was only with Arteta. I can't say much more, I wasn't happy.

"They were complicated months and I think that this is football sometimes. If I have to say something on this subject I say that I have never wanted to do something wrong."

Image: Alamy

In response, Arteta said that he was "the solution, not the problem" - though he did wish him luck when it transpired he was joining Chelsea.

Aubameyang hit 92 goals in 163 games for Arsenal before his contract was terminated by mutual consent.