Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that midfielder Thomas Partey picked up a muscular injury which led to his second-half substitution against Aston Villa.
The Ghana international joined the Gunners from Atletico Madrid last summer and he has since missed a number of games due to multiple thigh injuries.
He was forced off the pitch against the Villans with an apparent muscle issue and Arteta confirmed after the game that the midfielder could not carry on.
The Spaniard added that he has no idea over the severity of the setback and a medical assessment will be required.
“He had a muscular injury so we had to take him off – he could not carry on playing and I don’t know [how bad it is],” he told Arsenal.com.
“We will see the extent of the injury. He wasn’t feeling well enough to continue playing so we had to take him off.”
Partey returned from a thigh problem at the beginning of the year and he has formed a good midfield partnership alongside Granit Xhaka.
However, after a run of five Premier League starts, the 27-year-old has now suffered a fresh injury concern which may see him return to the sidelines.
He has not played at his best during this period, but has shown glimpses of his quality with some key tackles while also distributing the ball with good accuracy.
The north London giants suffered a second straight league defeat on Saturday after losing by the solitary goal to Villa on the road.
They are scheduled to host Leeds United next weekend. In Partey’s potential absence, one of Dani Ceballos or Mohamed Elneny may get the nod to partner Xhaka.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
