Mikel Arteta dealt Thomas Partey blow as extent of Arsenal star's injury emerges

09 September 2023 , 06:33

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Mikel Arteta dealt Thomas Partey blow as extent of Arsenal star's injury emerges

Thomas Partey's time on the sidelines is set to be further extended as Arsenal suffer another injury blow.

The Ghanaian was ruled out last week, shortly before the Gunners beat Manchester United 3-1 at the Emirates, with Mikel Arteta suggesting he would be out for "a few weeks" with a groin issue - but that diagnosis was somewhat premature with Partey due to be absent for a while.

The 30-year-old is, according to the Daily Mail, facing a six-week layoff with his earliest possible return coming after the international break in October. That would rule him out for crunch games against the likes of Premier League title rivals Manchester City.

Partey's spell on the sidelines would also see him miss games against Tottenham, Everton and Bournemouth as well as the club's opening two games in the Champions League against PSV and Lens. It will put an early strain on Arteta's squad, which is by no means the biggest.

Last term a lack of depth was cited as an issue as they fell away towards the end of the season. Declan Rice has come in for a club-record fee and has already looked impressive, but the Gunners have allowed Granit Xhaka and Albert Sambi Lokonga to both depart.

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Arteta though does still have the likes of Jorginho, Mohamed Elneny, Emile Smith Rowe and Kai Havertz who can all play centrally. Partey had begun the season in a surprise right-back role before Arsenal shifted back to more conventional personnel for the win over United.

Thomas Partey will be unavailable until October at the earliest

Already the Gunners boss has been dealt a cruel injury blow with summer signing Jurrien Timber sidelined for a lengthy period. The Dutchman arrived from Ajax but was forced off in his debut against Nottingham Forest on the opening weekend.

Arteta knows all too well how injuries can derail a season having had to deal with his fair share last term. The club dealt impressively without Gabriel Jesus as Eddie Nketiah stepped up impressively in the final third.

It was the absence of William Saliba however that coincided with their drop off in form towards the latter end of the season. The Frenchman was forced off in a Europa League match and failed to reappear and Arsenal struggled defensively following that.

Samuel Meade