The Gunners boss has emphasized the Gabonese striker’s role in the squad, saying the team’s success relies on him being at his best.
Mikel Arteta feels Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang is “back to normal” after producing a match-winning performance against Leeds United.
Aubameyang netted his first Premier League hat-trick while he also surpassed 200 goals in Europe’s top five leagues in Arsenal’s 4-2 home victory against Leeds on Sunday.
The 31-year-old striker, who was largely ineffective in front of goal in the first half of the league campaign, has scored more in his last four games than his prior 16 matches.
Speaking after the match, a delighted Arteta singled out Aubameyang for special praise.
The Gunners boss told Sky Sports: “I thought he was superb today. He’s been training really good the last week or so, he was back to normal, he looked really committed in training, really hungry.
“I think today he had a great performance, not just for the goals but the amount of pressure he put on every Leeds defender.
“I am delighted for him, he deserved it. We know that’s a big part of our future success is related to Auba being at his best and scoring as many goals as possible. If he is in that type of form, we are going to be closer to winning football matches, that is clear.
“We cannot just rely on him, but he is a big piece of our puzzle. You could see that today that when he is firing he is a difficult player to play against.”
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