Arsene Wenger believes Serge Gnabry was manipulated into leaving Arsenal by Bayern Munich.

Wenger was manager of Arsenal in 2016 when Gnabry left the club for a return to his native Germany with Werder Bremen.

After making only 10 appearances for the Gunners, Gnabry has gone on to become a star with Bayern.

"We tried to extend his contract for a very long time and I think that Bayern manipulated behind the scenes, that if he went to Bremen he would join Bayern after," Wenger told beIN Sports .

"He was always a very talented boy who lacked confidence in some stages, but we always thought we had a player who could achieve a lot.

"He came back from a very bad experience on loan at West Brom where his confidence was destroyed. I tried to rebuild him because I believed in him."