Arteta dismisses Arsenal negligence claims after Partey setback

Will Ford
Thomas Partey Arsenal
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 06: Thomas Partey of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on December 6, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. A limited number of fans are welcomed back to stadiums to watch elite football across England. This was following easing of restrictions on spectators in tiers one and two areas only. (Photo by Visionhaus) *** Local Caption *** Thomas Partey

Mikel Arteta has denied suggestions that Arsenal brought Thomas Partey back from injury too early after the midfielder limped off in the north London derby on Sunday.

The £45million signing missed four matches with a thigh issue before the clash, then only lasted 45 minutes before withdrawn on the stroke of half-time.


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He will miss Arsenal’s next few fixtures as a result.

But Arteta insists the decision was made to play Partey after he had come through a number of pre-match fitness tests.

“He did incredibly well and was very confident,” the Arsenal boss said of Partey’s performance. “We tested him three times and he had zero incidents.

“In football you have a lot of unpredictable actions.

 

“He went into the floor, his knee got stuck, afterwards he stretched and got up.

“Immediately he put a lot of stress in a similar area and it happened.

“Afterwards people will say it was a bit early but I don’t think it was because he was completely fine to play.”

The recurrence of the injury could not have come at a worse time for Arsenal, as Partey walked off the pitch as Spurs were counter attacking for their second goal.

Arteta tried to push his player back on the field, but his attempts to re-join play came too late.

It has now been confirmed the 27-year-old will be sidelined for several key fixtures in the run-up to Christmas, starting with the visit of Burnley on Sunday.

“He got injured in the same area, not exactly the same spot but the same area as before,” Arteta said. “He will miss the next few matches.”