Arsenal star Thomas Partey will not be representing Ghana at the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.
Ghana boss Chris Hughton has not included Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey in his squad for the tournament.
The Africa Cup of Nations is due to kick off on January 13th and will run until February 11th. Mikel Arteta may well have expected to be without Partey throughout this period, but the 30-year-old will now remain at the Emirates Stadium for the duration.
Hughton has not selected Partey due to an injury that the player is currently carrying. Clearly, the former Atletico Madrid man is not expected to recover in time to make an impact for his country. Therefore, he is unlikely to feature for the Gunners any time soon either.
Partey has only represented the north London club five times this season, and hasn’t been seen in red and white since he made an appearance off the bench when the Gunners beat Manchester City in early October.
Arsenal have missed the Ghanaian’s presence in the middle of the park this season. Whilst Declan Rice has been a revelation for Arsenal since his arrival from West Ham United in the summer, Partey is still a top class player with plenty to offer when he is fit.
The problem is, Partey is not fit anywhere near often enough. His fitness issues are a long-standing concern which means that Arteta simply can’t rely on him to be available when needed.
What next for Thomas Partey at Arsenal?
Hughton’s latest comments will also be a concern for Arteta. As quoted by 90min, the former Brighton and Hove Albion manager said, “I’ve spent a lot of this period of time with Thomas and also engaged the medical staff at Arsenal. They will treat this injury with caution, and so will the player. This is a big injury for him, the biggest injury he’s had.”
If this really is the biggest injury Partey has had then he will need a long time to get back up to match fitness and recover his sharpness. It also impacts Arsenal’s ability to move him on in this January transfer window, as there have been rumours linking the player with an exit. Arsenal would be wise to cash in on Partey if they can due to his injury problems, but the midfielder would likely fail a medical and will struggle to attract suitors in his current condition.
All Arsenal can do now is hope that Partey makes a recovery sooner than expected and is able to make a positive impact for the club in the second half of the campaign.