Mertesacker relieved to have avoided playing time during final season with Arsenal

Per Mertesacker has spoken of his relief at having avoided playing time during his final season with Arsenal.

The World Cup-winning defender called time on a 15-year playing career at the end of the 2017-18 campaign.

At 33 years old, the former Germany international decided to hang up his boots and move into a role as academy manager within Arsenal’s youth set-up.

He made just 12 appearances during what proved to be a farewell tour for both himself and Arsene Wenger at Emirates Stadium.

Mertesacker claims to have felt “happy” at being sidelined for long periods, telling BBC Sport: "Especially in my last year, I felt something and felt the pressure and it was very awkward sometimes.

"I was happy about not necessarily playing, just training was enough for me."

Mertesacker has spoken in the past of his struggles with the stresses of professional football.

He admitted in March to having felt sick at times, such was the pressure he placed on himself.

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Those claims have now been repeated, with a man who graced the very top of the game revealing that the announcement of his retirement helped to lift a weight off his shoulders.

Mertesacker, speaking at the launch of a project to help child refugees in Jordan through football, added: "Being in a career and going from highlight to highlight and playing a lot of matches you go through it and think it's normal when you play in front of 60,000 and you almost want to vomit in front of every game.

"It's not right playing these games to have that fear about what's going on with me. The fact that I actually felt better after saying: 'I'm going to stop,' I had less pain."

A man who helped Germany to World Cup glory in 2014 and earned 104 caps for his country added: "Sometimes you don't feel like doing sports or don't feel like doing workouts [where you are] spending eight weeks together and you just don't see your family.

"So it [football] has taken some bits and pieces as well - my health at one or two stages where you give absolutely everything and your body is just exhausted and you try to continue but your body says: 'I'm done. I need an injury, I need a break.' That's what I've experienced."