Unai Emery has said he does not know if Granit Xhaka will ever play for Arsenal again as he revealed there have been discussions with the club hierarchy about selling the midfielder in January.

Xhaka was stripped of the captain’s armband this week and will once again be left out of the Arsenal squad for Saturday’s crucial meeting with Leicester City after he said he is still not willing to play for the club.

Emery said the fallout over the Xhaka situation, which started when the midfielder reacted angrily to being booed by his own supporters last month, has “not helped” the team’s performances on the pitch.

Emery added that Arsenal are weaker without Xhaka but said the Swiss international needs to be mentally ready to “defend the Arsenal shirt” before he can return to the side. The Leicester match will be Arsenal’s fourth consecutive game without Xhaka.

“As a coach I have a responsibility for the team,” said Emery. “We need a player like Xhaka. But also I don’t know if he is going to play again.