Eboue was visibly affected by the booing at the Emirates Stadium last month in the closing stages of last month's narrow win over Wigan Athletic, an incident which prompted manager Arsene Wenger to substitute him.

But he has since forced his way into the side for the Gunner's festive games, and played in the 3-1 FA Cup win over Plymouth on Saturday.

"I'd just like to say thank you to my friends in the team, and to the staff and the boss," he said.

"They helped me a lot after that game,because I was very disappointed and angry – not with the fans, but with the game itself. I'd tried to give my best but nothing came off for me, and I know these things can happen sometimes.

"But I have to thank the supporters – lots of people have said sorry to me and I've received a lot of cards and messages over the Christmas period, which has been really nice.

"So I'm feeling much better now and am pleased to have the chance to play."