Thomas Partey looks set to miss Arsenal’s opening Premier League match of the season after falling foul of injury against Chelsea in pre-season.
The Gunners lost 2-1 to the Blues in today’s opening Mind Series clash at the Emirates, but the real negative from today is the prospective injury to Partey.
The Ghanaian was no stranger to injury last term, missing a number of months with various injuries, and that cycle looks to have kicked in before the new season has even begun.
Partey’s foot got stuck under a challenge from Ruben Loftus-Cheek during today’s friendly matchup, and Football.London’s Chris Wheatley has confirmed that early reports state that the early signs are not good.
Arteta on Partey's injury:
"I just had a talk with the doc. He'll have a scan tomorrow. At the moment it's not looking good." pic.twitter.com/jb5ouo9bWb
— Chris Wheatley (@ChrisWheatley_) August 1, 2021
One medical professional has taken an educated guess to predict a 4-6 week absence for last summer’s marquee signing, but we will know more after further tests tomorrow morning.
Found the specific mechanism of injury for Partey (see picture).
This is typically indicative of a “high ankle sprain” aka syndesmotic tear. These typically come with a 4-6 week return timeline if a grade 1 injury. Recent example is Harry Maguire. pic.twitter.com/syae1CWCjk
— Dr. Rajpal Brar, DPT (@3cbPerformance) August 1, 2021
Will Arsenal be forced to reassess our transfer plans if Partey is ruled out for 4-6 weeks, or would a longer expected absence force our hand? Could Xhaka now be forced to stay?
Patrick