London, Dec 11 (IANS): Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was dropped for Saturday's Premier League match with Southampton because of 'a disciplinary breach', manager Mikel Arteta said.

The 32-year old was a substitute in Monday's defeat by Everton. He was expected to play a part against Southampton but was not in the squad.

In a pre-match interview, Arteta said the decision to leave out the striker was "unfortunately due to a disciplinary breach."

"I think we have been very consistent that we have certain non-negotiables in the team that we have set ourselves as a club, and he's not involved today," he added.

Asked if the club could impose a longer-term ban on Aubameyang, the manager said, "It starts today [Saturday]. It's not an easy situation, a situation we want, to have our club captain in that situation."

Notably, it is not the first time Arteta has dropped Aubameyang for disciplinary reasons. In March, the Gabon international missed the win over rivals Tottenham for a "breach of pre-match protocol".

Aubameyang, who joined Arsenal from German side Borussia Dortmund in January 2018, has just four goals in 14 Premier League games this season, with the last coming in October against Aston Villa.