Albert Sambi Lokonga has admitted life at Arsenal has been "difficult" and that he "almost snapped" last season after finding opportunities hard to come by.
The Gunners have won nine of their first 10 games of the season to set the pace at the top of the Premier League table, but Lokonga is struggling to contribute with Mikel Arteta having settled on Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey as his first-choice midfield pairing.
Lokonga has started just two league games this season, including Arsenal's only loss, but insists he is happy at the Gunners after accepting his role over the summer.
He told La Derniere Heure: "Honestly, it’s difficult. I’m at one of the best clubs in England. I could have played somewhere else every weekend, but that wouldn’t have been the right solution for me.
"It’s a personal decision [to stay at Arsenal]. I wanted to give myself another year to stay at Arsenal and then see what happens."
"At the end of last season, I almost snapped," he added. "I called my agent to ask him if staying at Arsenal was a good idea. He comforted me in my choice, even though I know I need to start more often to develop."
A lack of minutes for Arsenal has left Lokonga's World Cup hopes in tatters. The 22-year-old was last called up by Belgium in March, for friendlies against Republic of Ireland and Burkina Faso, but failed to play a single minute, and was left out of the last squad altogether.
He is now considering quitting international duty entirely in protest to head coach Roberto Martinez's "disgusting" treatment of him.
He said: "I called him the day after the international match in March. I was really pissed off. I thought for a moment that I didn’t even want to play for the national team anymore. I was disgusted.
"Martinez said he preferred players who are playing regularly at their club. He was also not completely satisfied with my training. I don’t think he can portray me as a bad boy who doesn’t work hard. It would be too easy to put up such a picture of me. He can’t use something like that to justify why I don’t get to play.
"If I’m already on the bench while De Bruyne, Hazard and the other stars are not there, then I don’t stand a chance if they are in the selection. Maybe Martinez doesn’t believe in my qualities or he doesn’t like my style. But I’d rather he communicate that clearly. I would have accepted his decision without hesitation."
