An update on the wellbeing of Arsenal star Thomas Partey has come to the fore late on Friday evening.
The news, in a blow for those hopeful of seeing the Ghanaian back in action this weekend, however, has proven far from positive.
Midfielder Partey, of course, was forced to sit out in midweek, as Arsenal fell to a damaging home defeat at the hands of Premier League title rivals Manchester City.
This came owing to a muscular injury picked up in training earlier in the week.
Hope had since spread that the former Atletico Madrid standout would return to the fray this weekend, with boss Mikel Arteta having confirmed on Friday that Partey was in line for a late fitness test ahead of his side’s trip to Aston Villa.
As alluded to above, though, unfortunately from a Gunners perspective, such tests have since not yielded the desired results.
The 29-year-old has not joined the rest of Mikel Arteta’s squad on their trip to Birmingham, as a ‘precautionary measure’ to avoid any risk of further damage.
Thomas Partey won’t be involved for Arsenal against Aston Villa tomorrow.
Precautionary measure due to a muscular injury. #afc https://t.co/Eli2bLhmtE
— Chris Wheatley (@ChrisWheatley) February 17, 2023
