Mikel Arteta provides fresh update on Thomas Partey’s injury

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has provided a fresh update on the injury sustained by Thomas Partey following the north London derby. The Ghana international was recently out of action for five weeks with a thigh problem, but he managed to return to training in the lead-up to the Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur.

As such, Arteta chose to play him from the starting lineup against Jose Mourinho’s side and it proved a costly mistake as he suffered a recurrence of the same injury before the half-time whistle. The Gunners struggled over the course of the north London derby where they were beaten 2-0 and following the game, Arteta issued a worrying update on Partey’s fitness.

He told: “I haven't seen the action repeated. But it is an injury and it is in the same area unfortunately. We don't know how bad it is. I was trying to push him but I don't think he realised the gravity of the situation when he left his position but that was probably because he was in a lot of pain. It's nothing we can do at the moment to resolve that.”
The Ghana international has seen limited playing time since his debut for the Gunners, but he has still made his mark. He produced a standout display during the 1-0 league win over Manchester United at Old Trafford, but he has since played just 90 minutes of first-team football. No return date has been mentioned after the recent setback, but he appears unlikely to return until the turn of the year at least.
In his absence, Dani Ceballos or Mohamed Elneny could partner Granit Xhaka in the centre of the park. The Gunners have experienced a dreadful league campaign to date and have accumulated only 13 points from 11 matches. That sees them 15th on the table and 11 points behind Tottenham, who are the league leaders on goal difference. The sight of Spurs leading the standings should hurt the Gunners’ faithful.