‘It looks like he could be available’: Mikel Arteta confirms Thomas Partey is on the brink of return for Arsenal ahead of Saturday’s trip to Leicester – as the Spaniard insists the midfielder is ‘REALLY important’ to his side.
Mikel Arteta handed Arsenal fans a positive update on Friday as he revealed defensive midfielder Thomas Partey ‘could be available’ to face Leicester at the weekend.
The league leaders travel to the King Power on Saturday with a two-point lead over reigning champions Manchester City, who take on Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium later that day.
Arsenal, who blinked for the first time this season after dropping eight points against Everton, Brentford and City, returned to winning ways at Villa Park last Saturday, carving out a late 4-2 victory versus Unai Emery’s Aston Villa.
The Gunners have missed Partey’s presence at the base of midfield during the turbulent run, with a thigh injury keeping the Ghanaian on the sidelines.
But Arteta has now revealed that Partey could be in contention to feature against Leicester at the weekend, depending on how he fares during training on Friday.
Thomas Partey ‘could be available’ to face Leicester on Saturday, Mikel Arteta has confirmed
The Spaniard insisted Partey was a ‘really important player’ for Premier League leaders Arsenal
Arsenal travel to Leicester with a two-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the table
‘Not a lot of changes,’ Arteta replied when asked about the availability of his squad. ‘There’s a big question mark on Thomas, he hasn’t trained much but it looks like he could be available.
‘Let’s see how he trains today. He’s a really important player for us. We’ve missed him in the last few games but hopefully he can be available.
Arteta also revealed that star striker Gabriel Jesus, who has been missing for Arsenal since injuring his knee whilst on international duty with Brazil at the World Cup, is edging closer to a return.
The former Manchester City star has been ‘pushing really hard’ in an effort to return as quickly as possible, but Arteta is still wary of following the timeframe set out by Arsenal’s specialists.
‘He’s progressing really well and doing more and more on the field. His knee is not reacting so that is really positive,’ the manager added during Friday’s press conference.
‘We want to have him back as quick as possible but are obviously respecting the timeframe from the doctors and the specialists. But he’s really pushing the boundaries right now.’
Injured star Gabriel Jesus (L) – pictured with Emile Smith-Rowe (R) – is ‘progressing really well’
With Jesus, Arteta is keen to respect the timeframe set out by Arsenal’s doctors and specialists
Leicester will look to bounce back after their disappointing 3-0 loss versus Manchester United
Relegation-threatened Leicester, who thought they had turned a corner after high-scoring wins against Aston Villa and Tottenham, slumped back into old habits by defensively capitulating in their 3-0 loss to Manchester United last weekend.
A win for the Gunners would stretch their lead to five points ahead of City’s clash with Bournemouth.
Meanwhile, Leicester could climb seven points clear of the relegation zone with a win, depending on results elsewhere down the bottom.
Following the match at the King Power, Arsenal have a four-day turnaround before facing Sean Dyche’s Everton and must then swiftly prepare for Bournemouth’s trip to north London next Saturday.
source: dailymail.co.uk
