Mikel Arteta: 'Arsene Wenger has faith in me'

Mikel Arteta has insisted that Arsene Wenger still has faith in him after he signed a new contract with Arsenal.

Injury problems restricted the Spanish midfielder to just seven Premier League appearances last season, but that did not stop the Gunners from offering him a 12-month extension, and Arteta is determined to play a key role in what could be his final year in North London.

"The manager has belief in me and he doesn't need to use a lot of words because he has shown his belief in acts, which are more important than words," he told Goal.com.

"He knows what I think. He knows what I thought when I was injured and how disappointed I was, and he knows what I will do to come back nice and fresh and be consistent, as I've always been here.

"It's up to yourself. When I've been fit, I've always played. I just want to keep thinking like that. The difference now is that I've been injured for five or six months and it's been a really tough time for me."

Arteta joined the Gunners from Everton in the summer of 2011.