Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey might suffer another injury, but Ghana boss Chris Houghton has allayed such concerns.
Before returning for the final 15 minutes of Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Manchester City before the international break, Partey missed six games due to a groin injury.
Fans were startled to see Partey replaced at halftime in the friendly loss to Mexico that he traveled with Ghana to play in.
When asked if Partey’s groin problem had become worse, Houghton emphasized that the goal had always been to give the midfielder 45 minutes to gradually ease him back into competitive play.
“Thomas was always only going to play 45 minutes,” Houghton said.
“He has been out injured for three to four weeks, he came back for Arsenal last midweek, was on the subs bench for one game and played 20 minutes for the next game. So we knew he was only going to play 45 minutes.”
Therefore, Partey should be eligible for Arsenal’s match against Chelsea on October 21. However, Mikel Arteta will need to decide where to place the Ghanaian international.
Partey’s usual midfield position was lost when Declan Rice joined the team in the summer. Arteta therefore decided to use Partey as a right-back for the first three games of the season before he sustained his groin injury.
As a result of Partey’s injury, Ben White has taken over at right-back, where he thrived last year, allowing Gabriel Magalhaes to reestablish his relationship with starter William Saliba.
Saliba has been dealing with a toe ailment, but it is not anticipated that he will need to spend a lot of time out.