Return date announced: Arsenal medical team confirm when Thomas Partey as player set to return sooner than expected and will play against……
Last week, Thomas Partey suffered an upper-leg muscular injury during training. As a result, he could not feature in Arsenal’s 3-1 victory over Manchester United. According to the Daily Mail, the Ghana international will be out for about six weeks.
The 30-year-old missing Arsenal games was concerning in the past, but that is no longer the case, with Declan Rice asserting his power in the Gunners’ engine room.
Even if Rice calls the shots in Arsenal’s midfield, Partey remains a crucial midfielder in Arteta’s project. As a result, not having him as an option, even from the bench, is a huge miss.
Notably, the ex-Atletico Madrid player will miss vital Premier League matchups against Everton, Tottenham, Bournemouth, and Manchester City while out for six weeks. He will also miss Arsenal’s opening two Champions League fixtures against PSV Eindhoven and Lens.
The club expects Partey to be fit and ready for the London derby against Chelsea after the international break in October.
In the three league games he was fit to play, he played as an inverted right back, with Rice taking over his midfield role, but following the 2-2 draw with Fulham, several Gooners believed he wasn’t efficient in that role. When he returns, he will likely play in the midfield alongside Declan Rice (with the ex-Hammer playing the No. 8 role) or as his backup.
Let’s hope he returns sooner, but with Arsenal injuries we know that is highly unlikely.
