Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that midfielder Thomas Partey will have to undergo another scan ahead of their North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League.
The Ghanaian international picked up an injury when Arsenal played Aston Villa in the Premier League on November 8 and has since missed all games.
Ahead of Arsenal’s UEFA Europa League game against Rapid Vienna, head coach Arteta has said Partey has been training individually and is willing to play but will have to be scanned again to know if he is ready to play.
“He’s been training separately in the last week or so and we have to scan him again to see how he’s feeling,” he said.
“He’s a player that is so willing, that is pushing us every day and he wants to do it. At the same time, we have to protect him and make sure that when he gets back in the team, he is ready to do that and to whatever extent of minutes we can use him, so it’s going to be crucial with the moment he starts to train with the team to see how he is feeling and how he is evolving day-to-day,” Arteta said at a press conference.
He further indicated that Thomas Partey will only be available to play against Tottenham Hotspurs this weekend if he trains with the team after he has been assessed by the medics.
“We don’t know again, he is really pushing every day and he’s trying to get around the doctor and the physios but he hasn’t trained with the team yet so let’s see this week if he can get a session or two and then assess him, we need to scan him again so we can see the extent of the injury and how it’s healed.
“I know if it’s up to Thomas then he wants to play tomorrow. We have to see medically that he is safe to participate at all,” he added.
By Francis Hema|3news.com|Ghana
