Arsenal will miss the services of Ghana midfielder, Thomas Partey ahead of their London Derby against Tottenham Hotspur this weekend.
The 28 year old midfielder was set to start for the Black Stars in their high-profile friendly against Brazil in Le Havre on Friday, only to become a late withdrawal from the starting XI due to a precaution over what was initially reported as discomfort around the knee.
He was granted the permission to fly back to London to recover.
Partey had only just returned from a month out with a thigh injury in the 3-0 Premier League win over Brentford before the international break, a sixth victory from seven matches that left Mikel Arteta’s high-flying Gunners sitting top ahead of Manchester City and Tottenham.
Partey may be set for another spell on the sidelines were heightened when, having missed the Brazil match, he withdrew altogether from the Ghana squad ahead of their second fixture against Nicaragua in Lorca on Tuesday.
Addressing the issue on Monday, Ghana coach Addo explained that they did not want to risk Partey in a friendly and expressed hope he would return very quickly.
“Hopefully Thomas will be healthy very, very soon,” he told reporters.
“We didn’t want to take that risk in a friendly game to play him against Brazil, but surely playing a player like him against a squad like Brazil would have been helpful.”
Arsenal host Spurs at the Emirates with kick off scheduled at 11:30AM.