Thomas Partey has arrived in Ghana for the Africa Cup of Nations qualification double-header against Angola and it appears a special plan is in place for the Arsenal midfielder
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is seemingly taking no chances with Thomas Partey during the international break.
The midfielder has been named in the Ghana squad by Chris Hughton for the Africa Cup of Nations qualification double-header against Angola with the first fixture scheduled for Thursday and the return meeting falling six days before the Gunners return to Premier League action.
And when speaking after Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Crystal Palace at the weekend, understandably, Arteta revealed his wish for all 13 other senior players – including captain Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Granit Xhaka – selected for international duty to return to London Colney next week in the best possible condition.
Now, thanks to @karthikadhaigal, an eagle-eyed Arsenal supporter on Twitter, it would appear that Arteta has a special plan for Partey in particular as the 29-year-old was seemingly spotted arriving for Ghana duty in the early hours of Tuesday morning alongside the club’s physiotherapist Simon Murphy.
Interestingly, this follows on from a report during the September international break that the Gunners sent the Ghana Football Association a detailed regiment on how to use the midfielder to ensure he avoided another injury setback all the while getting the necessary minutes under his belt to build up his match sharpness.
That proved to be the case as the midfielder was passed fit for the North London Derby against Tottenham Hotspur a few days later – a match in which he scored – and has only missed two games through injury since with his influence behind the Gunners’ Premier League title pursuit very clear.
Judging by the responses on social media, fans are happy that measures are being taken to ensure Partey is well taken care of during the international break, especially as his availability during the final 10 games of the season could be the difference between Arsenal lifting the trophy come May or not.