Thomas Partey, Arsenal’s influential midfielder, will be out of action for a fortnight due to a groin strain, as confirmed by the Ghana Football Association.
The 30-year-old veteran has been a constant figure in Mikel Arteta’s lineup since the commencement of the 2023-24 season. Partey decided to stay in North London, shrugging off speculative attention from Juventus and clubs in Saudi Arabia.
In the current season, Partey has featured in every Premier League match for the Gunners, notably in an adapted role as an inverted right-back. However, his game time was cut short to 56 minutes during Arsenal’s recent 2-2 stalemate against Fulham at home.
Despite his early exit from the match, Arteta explained that substituting Partey for Oleksandr Zinchenko was a tactical decision. Furthermore, Partey was seen participating fully in team training sessions earlier this week. Arteta didn’t mention any injury concerns regarding the Ghanaian midfielder in his Friday press conference, making his omission from the Ghana national team for their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Central African Republic somewhat surprising.
In an official statement, the Ghana FA disclosed: “Arsenal ace Thomas Partey is left out of the squad due to injury. According to his club, the player picked up an injury in training and could be on the sidelines for a while, however the Black Stars medical teams is monitoring the situation.”
Although initial social media rumours suggested a prolonged absence for Partey, Ghana’s team doctor, Prince Pambo, later clarified that he expects the former Atletico Madrid player to be absent for only a couple of weeks. “He sustained a groin injury during training on Thursday, August 31, 2023. He is currently unavailable as Club Doctors predict he’s likely to be out for a couple of weeks,” Pambo stated on ghanafa.org.
The revelation about Partey’s injury status comes just a day before Arsenal are set to host Manchester United in a marquee Premier League fixture, a match the Ghanaian midfielder will, regrettably, have to miss.
As Arsenal supporters eagerly await an official injury update, it remains a question whether Partey will be fit in time for the Everton match post the international break on September 16—four days ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League curtain-raiser against PSV Eindhoven.
In Partey’s absence, Ben White is the frontrunner to fill the right-back position against the Red Devils, especially with Jurrien Timber sidelined due to a long-term ACL injury. Takehiro Tomiyasu is another defensive option at Arteta’s disposal, having returned from a one-match suspension. Both Zinchenko and Gabriel Magalhaes are also in contention for defensive roles.
The midfield setup is likely to remain unchanged, featuring Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, and Kai Havertz, despite Havertz facing some criticism for a sluggish start to his Arsenal career.
