The Ghana FA has stated that Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey would be out for a few weeks due to a groin injury.
The 30-year-old has been a regular for Mikel Arteta since the start of the 2023-24 season, despite rumours of interest from Juventus and Saudi Arabia.
Partey has started all three Premier League games for Arsenal in an inverted right-back role, albeit he only lasted 56 minutes in last weekend’s 2-2 draw at home to Fulham.
The midfielder’s substitution for Oleksandr Zinchenko was purely tactical, and he was spotted in full training with the rest of his teammates earlier this week.
Partey was not mentioned at Arteta’s pre-match press conference on Friday, but he was a noteworthy absence from Ghana’s roster for their forthcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against the Central African Republic.
The Ghana FA acknowledged that Partey picked up a problem in training, which Arsenal relayed to them, albeit the Gunners have not provided an official update.
“Arsenal star Thomas Partey has been ruled out of the squad due to injury.” According to his club, the player suffered an injury during training and may be sidelined for some time, although the Black Stars medical team is monitoring the issue,” the statement stated.
Rumours began to circulate on social media that Partey could be out for several months, however in a later update, Ghana’s team doctor Prince Pambo indicated that the former Atletico Madrid man will only be out for a few weeks.
On Thursday, August 31, 2023, he suffered a groin injury while training. He is currently unavailable, with Club Doctors predicting he would be out for a few weeks, Pambo told ghanafa.org.
Partey’s prognosis comes less than 24 hours before Arsenal hosts Manchester United at the Emirates for Sunday’s main Premier League clash, which the Ghanaian appears to be forced to miss.
As Arsenal fans wait with bated breath to hear an official update from the club, it remains to be seen if Partey will be fit to face Everton after the international break on September 16, four days before the Gunners meet PSV Eindhoven in their Champions League opener.
With Jurrien Timber out for the foreseeable future due to an ACL injury, Ben White is the most likely contender to revert to a right-back role against the Red Devils.
Takehiro Tomiyasu, who has returned from a one-game ban, is another option for Arteta at the back, and Zinchenko and Gabriel Magalhaes are also pressing for recalls.
Partey’s absence should leave Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, and Kai Havertz in an unchanged engine room, albeit the latter has been chastised for his poor start to his Arsenal career.
