Mikel Arteta to make announcement on his Arsenal future after FA Cup final against Aston Villa

Arsenal captain Mikel Arteta hopes to return to action in the FA Cup final against Aston Villa on Saturday (30 May) before making an announcement on his future at the club.

The Spanish midfielder goes out of contract at the Emirates Stadium on 30 June and, after having missed much of the current campaign due to an injury, it is still uncertain whether he will stay at the club one further season.

The 33-year-old midfielder has indeed only made 13 appearances for the Gunners this campaign and is yet to play a game since the Champions League game against Borussia Dortmund last November.

But speaking ahead of the FA Cup final, the Spaniard has claimed he is looking forward to have a role in the game before making a decision on his future.

"I have been training with the team. It is up to the manager now to decide what he wants to do. I will respect any decision. Obviously, everyone want to be involved in a final and what that means. So we will see what happens," the captain said.

"I will discuss my future after the final. It has been a strange season from me since November, with my injury. I have had some really tough times but I have learnt a lot. It is nice to see things out of the barrier and have a different input from outside, instead of being on the field. But my aim is to be on the pitch as much as I can."

Asked whether he would like to stay at the Emirates Stadium next season, he replied: "I would love to."

But when questioned what the club have told him about that, he responded: "The indication is that we are both very clear of what we want and we will announce something after the final."