Granit Xhaka has lost his armband to Pierre Emerick Aubameyang after confrontations with Gunners fans.

"I think we need to take time with him, first to protect him and also to be calm and training with us every day. But I was speaking with him this morning and also I decided he's not one of the captains in our group and I decided that and I told him this morning," Emery told Arsenal's website on Tuesday morning.

The Swiss International was left out of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup defeat to Liverpool after Unai Emery explained that the player was ‘sad’ and ‘devastated’ at the reaction. He has not featured for the Gunners since their 2-2 draw against Palace before he openly revealed his frustration and apologized for the act.

"People have said things like "we will break your legs", 'kill your wife' and 'wish that your daughter gets cancer'.

"That has stirred me up and I reached boiling point when I felt the rejection in the stadium on Sunday.

"In this situation, I let myself be carried away and reacted in a way that disrespected the group of fans that supports our club, our team and myself with positive energy. That is not my intention and I'm sorry if that's what people thought.

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"My wish is that we get back to a place of mutual respect, remembering why we fell in love with this game in the first place. Let's move forward positively together.

With Aubameyang not included in the 18-travelling squad for the match in Guimaraes, Hector Bellerin is likely to take the armband for Wednesday’s game.

"We have now Aubameyang, Hector, Lacazette and Ozil - they are the four captains, and first is now Aubameyang," confirmed Emery.