Lothar Matthaus questions Mesut Ozil place

Germany legend Lothar Matthaus has claimed that Mesut Ozil does not have a guaranteed place in the team ahead of the World Cup.

The 25-year-old's recent form has been questioned following a series of ineffective performances for Arsenal towards the end of last season.

While admitting that more is expected of Ozil than other players in the national team, Matthaus is not sure whether the playmaker will be a regular starter out in Brazil.

"Ozil has no guaranteed place in the starting lineup," he told Kicker. "Especially in his position as we have a lot of quality. First of all, he must prevail there.

"He could be the loser if you look at the way [Joachim] Low let his team play recently, but you always expect more from him than from other players. I don't think Ozil is untouchable."

Germany start their World Cup campaign on Monday when they take on Portugal.