Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed his concern regarding the injury to Thomas Partey after the 3-1 win over Manchester United at home in the Premier League.
The Gunners welcomed Erik ten Hag’s team to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday (3 September). After going behind, the North London side managed to turn things around and scored two late goals to clinch a 3-1 victory.
But for Arsenal, the game was marred by the absence of Partey. The Ghana international picked up a knock during training late last week. Speaking after the win over Man United, Arteta gave a sombre update on the midfielder’s situation after admitting the injury ‘doesn’t look good’.
The Arsenal boss also suggested that Partey will be out ‘for weeks’. Arteta is quoted as saying by football.london:
“I don’t know. Unfortunately, he got injured in training. It doesn’t look good. I believe he’ll be out for weeks.”
Arsenal managed to get past the Red Devils without Partey. Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard started for the Gunners in the middle of the park against Ten Hag’s team.
Marcus Rashford gave United the lead, but Martin Odegaard quickly managed to equalise after a fine move. The Gunners created several other opportunities but had to wait until deep into stoppage time to take the leas through Declan Rice. Gabriel Jesus then wrapped things up with a third in the 110th minute.
Arsenal are well covered without Partey
Arsenal acquired the services of Partey in the summer of 2020 from Atletico Madrid. After taking a year to settle in, the Ghanaian has been a key player in the Gunners’ success. In the previous campaign, the midfielder was pivotal to Arteta’s plans.
However, this season, Partey has had competition in the number six position from Rice. As a result, the 30-year-old has been played as a right-back during the opening games of the season.
Injuries have been a constant issue for Partey during his time at Arsenal. In the past, the Gunners did not have adequate cover for the former Atletico star in the team. However, now, they are well covered with Rice and Jorginho at Arteta’s disposal while Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu can play at right-back.
