Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has said Granit Xhaka deserves to relish in his turnaround in fortunes at the Emirates -- almost three years to the day since he was infamously booed off by the club's fans -- adding that he's unlocked something in his play and it's paying dividends on the field.
Xhaka scored a well-taken half volley to help Arsenal to a 1-0 win over PSV Eindhoven in the Europa League on Thursday and put them on the cusp of winning Group B.
"I think he has faced adversity, and in difficult moments he has put his arm up when he had something different to do," Arteta said in a postmatch news conference. "His worth ethic, the way he is as a person, the way he treats everybody around the club, and the love for this football club and the profession is unquestionable, and I think he fully deserves that.
"I'm really happy to see him enjoying his career."
The Switzerland international has enjoyed a rollercoaster spell at Arsenal before Arteta's arrival as head coach, the height of which came in October 2019 when he had a public falling out with the club's fans as they booed him off the pitch at home to Crystal Palace.
The incident led him to be stripped of the captaincy, with Arteta replacing Unai Emery as boss months later.
But Xhaka has enjoyed a stark change in form since then, notably this season where he has already scored three goals and recorded three assists in all competitions, becoming a mainstay in Arteta's side.
When asked what changed for Xhaka since the Spaniard's arrival, Arteta said: "He does, and we believed that he had the qualities to do that and sometimes it's just unlocking something in a player's mind to be more open and receptive to other things, and he's been a lot more open.
"His work rate to learn all the time is fantastic and I think it's paying off."
Arsenal were playing the match against PSV as a makeup for a game that was cancelled following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Sept. 8. The rescheduled match also forced the postponement of Arsenal's Premier League match with Manchester City on Wednesday.
Next up for Arteta and the Gunners is an away match with Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday.