Former Manchester United player Gary Neville has urged Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta to deploy Thomas Partey in his favourite midfield position after trying him at right-back in the last three games.
Partey, an essential player for the Gunners in last season’s campaign suddenly dropped the pecking order during the dying embers of last season losing his position to Jorginho who had joined from Chelsea in January.
Declan Rice, who arrived from West Ham for a club-record sum, furthered rumours that the 30-year-old Ghanaian would leave because of a fear of less playing time.
However, Arterta after stating Partey’s importance to the team has been playing him at right-back so far, an initiative which has got many fuming.
The latest among those sharing their displeasure is Neville who believes Partey makes the team stronger when paired with Declan Rice in midfield.
“I would say that for me, looking at Arsenal, there is this element of experimentation. Thomas Partey is playing half-and-half in a game. Sometimes you need to go back to basics.
“I’d expect next week [vs Man Utd] Mikel Arteta is going to end that experiment and go with a solid back four. Move Partey into midfield with Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard” Neville said on Sky Sports.
The midfield duo of Thomas Partey and Declan Rice received praise for defeating Manchester City in the Community Shield, but it’s uncertain if Partey will return to his signature role.