Arsenal suffer fresh injury blow to star midfielder on international duty days before North London derby

Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has picked up a knock while on international duty with Ghana and will be assessed ahead of their next game against Nicaragua.

The Gunners midfielder was named in the Ghana starting line-up to face Brazil but dropped out after being unable to continue his warm-up.

He was only just coming back to the national team after missing their last games against Japan and Chile due to injury. At club level he missed three games for Mikel Arteta’s side before returning to star in their 3-0 win against Brentford before the international break.

When fit there is no doubt that Thomas Partey is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, but he has struggled with fitness and continuity which is a genuine concern for Arsenal fans despite his quality.

Last season when he suffered the muscle injury at Selhurst Park, the Gunners lost steam and eventually lost out on their Champions League spot to rivals Tottenham.

This season the Gunners have started the season brilliantly but their only defeat in the seven games so far came at Manchester United, a game Thomas Partey missed due to another injury he picked up in training.

Ghana is taking on Brazil before traveling to Spain to play Nicaragua before wrapping up their international friendly games and preparation for the upcoming World Cup later this year.

The first game after the international break for Arsenal will be the North London derby and Mikel Arteta will be hoping that his Ghanaian midfielder will be ready for it.