Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Thomas Partey will miss the "next few matches" for Arsenal after aggravating his thigh injury during the 2-0 north London derby defeat to Tottenham last Sunday.
Partey made his first start since November 8 but had to be substituted at half-time having tried to limp off the pitch during the build-up to Spurs’ second goal.
Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s Europa League tie against Dundalk on Thursday night, Arteta insisted the appropriate checks were made before he was named in the team.
It’s unclear of the exact timeline for his second absence from the squad, with Partey undergoing a scan on Tuesday, but the 27-year-old will definitely miss Sunday’s visit of Burnley.
Beyond that, Arsenal take on Southampton at home next Wednesday followed by a trip to Everton and the visit of Manchester City in the League Cup, before the Boxing Day clash against Chelsea; a group of challenging fixtures which could either alleviate or drastically increase the pressure on the head coach following a poor run of results.
"He got injured in the same area, not exactly the same spot but the same area as before," Arteta said. "He will miss the next few matches.
"He did incredibly well and he was very confident. We tested him three times and he had zero symptoms, but in football you have a lot of unpredictable actions.
"He went into the floor, his knee got stuck, afterwards he stretched and got up. Immediately he put a lot of stress in a similar area and it happened.
"Afterwards people will say it was a bit early but I don't think it was because he was completely fine to play."
Without Partey, Arsenal’s midfield has lacked structure and energy and is becoming a problem area for Arteta who will have to continue with a combination of Granit Xhaka, Dani Ceballos, Joe Willock and Mohamed Elneny.
Just before Arteta confirmed the news, Partey had posted a message on Instagram detailing how he hopes to "play again soon and fight for this team”.
