Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta has reechoed his fears that injured Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey will not return to play a part in the final lap of the season.
It comes at a key moment for the Gunners, who head into the final few games of the season with Champions League qualification still on the line.
The 28-year-old limped off in the side’s 3-0 defeat at Crystal Palace earlier this month, with his thigh causing a problem that was said to keep him out for “weeks”.
Fears over Partey’s return lessened as he appeared to step up his recovery in the last few days.
However, Arteta confirmed that he doesn’t expect him to be available for the rest of the season.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s game at West Ham, he said:
“He’s [Partey] progressing but he had a significant injury, a recurring injury as well. So we don’t expect him to make progress quickly enough to see him again this season, but hopefully, I am wrong.”
“He has been out injured and sometimes he pushes too far in order to play and he gets injured again. He is willing to help again to play this season. We don’t know if that is going to be possible, but for sure it won’t be because of lack of intention from him,” Arteta added.
It leaves the Spaniard with a thinner squad to choose from during the run-in.
The Gunners are currently in fourth, recovering well from a tricky return from the international break to beat Chelsea and Manchester United. The current gap on North London rivals Tottenham in fifth is two points, meaning any slip-up could be costly.
The loss of Partey won’t help either, having found a more consistent level of performance over 24 Premier League appearances this summer.
The remaining five games will be without Partey, which includes West Ham, Leeds, Tottenham, Newcastle and Everton. 13 points from a possible 15 would guarantee a top-four finish this season for Arteta.
