Germany centre back Per Mertesacker enjoyed a good start to his Arsenal career before injury laid him low for the season's final three months.

The towering defender joined the Gunners from Bundesliga side Werder Bremen on August 31, 2011, and was pressed straight into Premier League action. He helped the side keep a clean sheet on his debut against Swansea City, and went on to make 12 appearances in his first two months as an Arsenal player.

As time progressed, the experienced international became noticeably more comfortable with the rigours of the English top flight - and he produced a string of consistent, composed displays during the winter as Arsène Wenger's side recovered from a rocky start to the campaign.

His season ended prematurely, though, when he sustained an ankle injury against Sunderland in February - just as he was hitting top form. He recovered in time to feature in Germany's Euro 2012 squad but did not play in Poland and Ukraine.

Per has been an important member of the 'Nationalmannschaft' since 2004, at which time he was on the books of Hannover 96. He moved on to Werder Bremen in 2006, having impressed at that year's World Cup. Making 172 appearances in his five years there, he was also a runner-up at Euro 2008 and participated in the 2010 World Cup.