Premier League stats prove Mesut Ozil is one of Arsenal's hardest working players

Mesut Ozil divides opinion. At his best, there's arguably nobody better at splitting defences open with a cute ball, but the German playmaker has often been accused of drifting out of matches.

While it's true he can sometimes blow cold, the greatest misconception about Ozil is his reluctance to 'put in a shift' or – in less compromising terms – that he's a lazy, overpaid git.

Earlier this month, his performance against Olympiakos was 'absolutely disgraceful' and 'dishonest' according to former Man United midfielder Johnny Giles. Ozil responded with a man-of-the-match display which blew United apart at the Emirates before half-time.

And now, the EA Sports Player Performance Index has produced some interesting figures suggesting that Ozil offers the work-rate to supplement his sublime technique.

Ozil works harder than many people believe.Credit: EA Sports Player Performance Index

Based on figures for Premier League footballers who've played at least four whole matches this season, Ozil covers more ground than Memphis Depay, Raheem Sterling, Ramires, Philippe Coutinho, Willian and Eden Hazard.

On average, he runs 10.24km over the course of 90 minutes which isn't too shabby for a player that many people accuse of not working hard enough.

In fact, the only two players at Arsenal who typically cover more ground are Aaron Ramsey (11.23) and Mikel Arteta (10.69).

So, it turns out this World Cup winner and Germany's Player of the Year for three seasons is not a fraud after all. Why do so many people accuse him of being lazy?

Data courtesy of the EA Sports Player Performance Index, the Official Player Rating Index of the Barclays Premier League.