Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has disclosed that revealed that Thomas Partey’s injury is more serious than the club first thought and says it will be a ‘few games’ before the Ghana international returns.
The 27-year-old has been on the sidelines since picking an injury against Aston Villa on November 8.
Initially, it was believed Partey would not be out for too long with what was described as a thigh problem, but he has missed Arsenal’s last three matches.
And, speaking after Sunday’s 2-1 defeat by Wolves, Arteta could not confirm when the midfielder would be ready to return.
"I don’t think he will be with us in the next few games," said the Gunners boss. "We have been missing a lot of players. We have many, many different issues, but I don’t like to use that excuse.
"At the end of the day, we are all the time really close to winning football matches and we end up losing it in the last few games.
"This is only in our hands with the players that we have. It is what we have to do. We cannot change that. It is in our hands."
When asked whether Partey’s issue was more serious than first thought, Arteta added: "Yes."