Ghana have dropped Thomas Partey from their roster for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations which starts in Ivory Coast on January 13.
Despite initially being included in Chris Hughton’s 55-man longlist, the Arsenal midfielder, a regular for his country for the past six years, has not progressed far enough in his rehabilitation from a long-term thigh injury to take part in the tournament.
Explaining Partey’s omission, Hughton said: “I’ve spent a lot of time with Thomas and the Arsenal staff. They will approach this injury carefully and so will the player.
This is a significant injury for him, the most significant he has experienced.” Partey picked up the problem during training ahead of Arsenal’s October trip to Sevilla and is yet to return to full training. Originally expected to return in early January, he has been out of action since then.
The 30-year-old contributed in the first four games of the season, including the Community Shield, before a groin problem forced him out for a month. Partey made a brief 15-minute appearance in the 1-0 win over Manchester City before his continued absence.
In his place, Mikel Arteta has turned to summer signing Declan Rice to shore up the midfield, although the England international has experienced a dip in form recently.
With limited options to rotate in, Jorginho is an alternative but Mohamed Elneny, another option, is unavailable for Arsenal as he takes part in the AFCON with Egypt. More details on Partey’s condition are expected to emerge later in the week when Arteta previews the FA Cup clash with Liverpool.
In other developments, Takehiro Tomiyasu has officially secured a place in Japan’s Asian Cup squad. The exact date of his departure is yet to be confirmed as Arsenal aim to keep him until their FA Cup clash with Liverpool on January 6, with Japan’s first game scheduled for January 14.
As the transfer window opens, attention will be on whether Arsenal will be tempted to look for a midfielder.