Mikel Arteta has hinted Thomas Partey is unlikely to make it through the full 90 minutes for Arsenal against Newcastle United tonight.
Partey is making only his fifth Premier League start tonight having struggled with injury since his £45.3million move from Atletico Madrid in the summer.
The midfielder missed six consecutive games through a hip injury before returning off the bench for Arsenal's goalless draw with Crystal Palace on Thursday night.
The Ghanaian came off the bench and got through 21 minutes unscathed, doing enough in that cameo and in training sessions since to win a starting place.
Though, Arteta does not seem convinced Partey can play a full 90 minutes just yet.
"He [Partey] is ready to start, he's done enough to start the game after 25 minutes last week, let's see how long he lasts," said the Spaniard ahead of kick-off to Sky Sports.
"There's nothing like playing a football match in this league."
The other surprise inclusion in Arsenal's starting XI tonight is Cedric Soares, who had only made six Premier League appearances ahead of this evening.
“The amount of games we’ve played, the rotation, the different qualities we need for this game as well," Arteta reasoned. "When Cedric has played, he’s done well.”
Arteta also praised Kieran Tierney, who has impressed for the Gunners this season and particularly in their recent resurgence following a poor start.
“Yeah, he’s been a real threat in the last few months," the Spaniard added. "He’s one of the players who have the natural ability to go forward and sustain attacks for us, to create a lot of situations in the final third.
"We certainly missed him in the last game and we’re glad to have him back now.”
