9 months ago
178 Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted that Thomas Partey’s injury issues are a “big concern” ahead of Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Liverpool.
On Friday, the Gunners boss revealed that the midfielder had a “little setback a few days ago” in training and will be unavailable for the fixture against Jurgen Klopp’s Reds.
Partey has not played for Arsenal for almost four months now, due to a serious thigh problem which forced him to undergo surgery.
The 30-year-old had been looking to make his return to action, but he has suffered an issue “in a very similar area” and hasn’t been able to train for a few days.
Partey is now set to miss the Liverpool match, though it remains to be seen how long he will be on the sidelines in wake of this latest setback.
Arteta, speaking to the Arsenal media team on Friday, admitted that it’s becoming a big worry for the player and the club.
“It’s a big concern,” he said. “Because he’s such an important player for us and he was getting some momentum at the start of the season and then we lost him for a while.
“Now it’s been a long time without him. And he gives us something very different that no other player can give us in the squad. He’s been a real miss.”
Arsenal may have to start thinking about future without Thomas Partey – TBR View
Partey has not played for Arsenal since 8 October. Meanwhile, his last outing for Ghana was on 18 October. He has made just five appearances for Arteta’s side this season.
Partey has missed 51 Premier League games out of 136 during his time at Arsenal. This is a worryingly significant amount, particularly for a club fighting for the title.
Sadly, he’s really struggling to stay fit. And at this point you wonder how many more games he’s going to play this season.
Partey certainly makes Arsenal stronger. But unless he can prove his fitness going forward, it remains to be seen what future he has at the Emirates Stadium past this season.
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