Journalist Charles Watts, who specializes in Arsenal-related news revealed he ‘spoke to someone close’ to retrieve an update on Thomas Partey’s injury.
Arsenal’s Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey suffered an injury to his thigh on 5th April at Selhurst Park when the Gunners clashed against Patrick Vieira led Crystal Palace which the hosts won resoundingly with a scoreline of 3-0 with Zaha, Jordan Ayew, and Mateta on the scoresheet for The Eagles.
While speaking in the pre-match press conference before their matchup against Southampton, Mikel Arteta revealed that he would not be able to opt for Thomas Partey, probably for the rest of the season. Arteta said:
“The news that we got after having another assessment is not great.”
He further added:
“It’s not looking very positive for his availability this season, but we’ll have to wait and see. He’s trying to get back as quick as possible but at the moment we are not very optimistic about it.”
Arsenal eventually lost the game 1-0 with a goal from Jan Bednarek. Before this match, Arteta’s side also suffered a defeat at the hands of Graham Potter’s Brighton & Hove Albion.
In absence of Partey, Albert Sambi Lokonga failed to grab the opportunity as he dropped 2 mediocre performances against Brighton and Southampton. But Arteta struck gold with the selection of Mohamed Elneny. His performance against Chelsea and Manchester United ensured Arsenal back into the Top 4 race.
Partey injury update: Bad news for Arsenal?
The initial prognosis was that Thomas would be out for the rest of the season. But Watts has spoken on YouTube about rumors that he could return early following his quick recovery in rehabilitation.
Charles Watts told:
“I’ve seen suggestions doing the rounds on social media. It said that he could be well ahead of schedule in his return to fitness. In that press conference ahead of the Southampton game, Mikel Arteta seemed to rule him out for the season, saying it wasn’t good news on Partey and he would be surprised if he played again this season.
He continued:
“I spoke to someone close to Thomas Partey this morning. He said he wasn’t ruling anything out. But it’s just a case of let’s see how it goes. He said Thomas has a history of coming back from injuries a little bit quicker than expected. No one’s right now. As far as I’m aware, looking at it and thinking Thomas is going to get some involvement for the final two weeks of the season or anything like that.
“Temper your expectations and your excitement when it comes to Thomas. He is clearly working hard, you’ve seen the videos on social media. He is doing all he can to be involved at some point between now and the end of the season but I don’t think Arsenal will be taking any risks.
“Even if he does return with a week to go, he’s missed all of that football, lacking match sharpness. You certainly don’t throw him in. We saw what happened when Arsenal threw him in against Tottenham last season when he’d been out for a long time, it backfired spectacularly. You don’t want something like that again.
“You want Thomas Partey to stay fit. Because Arsenal are a better side when he’s playing. But he needs to be bang up for it with match fitness. He’s trying, nobody is ruling anything out but it’s a case of wait and see how he comes through this period of rehabilitation.”
As it seems, Mikel Arteta would ease Thomas Partey into the starting lineup rather than throwing him directly into the fray. But that is only a possibility only if he recovers completely and makes himself available.
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