The England international was left on the bench for the Gunners' 0-0 draw with Southampton, with the Gunners legend left scratching his head over why he was not brought on
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry believes Arsene Wenger doesn't trust winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and still cannot understand why he was not brought on as a substitute in the Gunners' 0-0 draw with Southampton.
Oxlade-Chamberlain was recalled to the starting XI for the trip to Bournemouth on Sunday but was an unused substitute as Wenger's side could only claim a point from their home clash with Southampton last time out.
And Henry was left baffled by the decision not to introduce the England international in place of Mathieu Flamini after 85 minutes, with Francis Coquelin replacing the French midfielder instead. He told Sky Sports: "He doesn't trust him.
"I was like 'Coquelin comes on with five minutes to go [against Southampton] and we have to win the game and the Ox is on the side? Why are you trying not to win the game there instead of trying to not lose it?' I didn't understand it at the time.
Did Wenger let Afobe leave too soon?
"I tried to see what was going on, the view of the manager. He must have said to himself 'is the Ox going to win me this game'? And he must have said 'no'! Let's not try to lose it. It might sound crazy I know but does Oxlade-Chamberlain do enough to be a starter at Arsenal?
"How long are we going to say he's a prospect? He's been there for four-and-a-half-years. Enough now. You have to be a starter. The same goes with Theo Walcott."
Former Liverpool midfielder Graeme Souness added: "Does he [Oxlade Chamberlain] take it seriously enough? He always seem to be a bit of a joker. There is a player in there. It's stand up and be counted time. He's 22, he should not be accepting, with the quality he has, sitting on the bench and being a bit-part player.
"You've got to be banging down the manager's door and saying 'I'm ready for this'. Is he prepared to do that? I see him laughing and giggling a lot [in interviews]. I'd want him to be a bit more serious and angry and upset with me, if I was the manager leaving him out. There's no doubt about it he has quality. When he doesn't use him the other night, is it because he doesn't trust him? At 22 it's time to stand up and say 'this is my moment'."
- Goal