Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Tashan Deniran-Alleyne

Thomas Partey drops Instagram hint over Mikel Arteta's Arsenal squad selection vs Molde

Thomas Partey looks set to miss out for Arsenal against Molde on Thursday evening.

It's the second game after the November international break for Gunners following a trip to Elland Road last Sunday where they were perhaps fortunate to draw 0-0 with Leeds United.

Mikel Arteta's side have struggled for goals in the Premier League this season, but it's a different story in the Europa League as they beat Molde 4-1 at the Emirates Stadium three weeks ago.

Victory at the Aker Stadium will confirm Arsenal's place in the knockout round with two games to spare and allow Arteta to take a look at some of the younger players in his squad.

With that said, the team have flown to Norway 24 hours earlier than normal due to COVID-19 precautions in the country and some promising talent have travelled.

Midfield duo Ben Cottrell and Miguel Azeez are in line to make their first-team debuts after they were spotted on the plane alongside Folarin Balogun.

The highly-rated striker made his senior debut on matchday two against Dundalk and could be in line for some more minutes as the club tries to convince him to stay.

Emile Smith-Rowe was also pictured boarding the Gunners flight from Luton and could make his first senior appearance of the season after impressing for the U23's.

However, Partey, who missed the game against Leeds with a thigh problem, appears to have not been included in the Arsenal squad that has already travelled to Norway.

That's if his social media activity is anything to go by.

Taking to Instagram, the 27-year-old has delivered an update on his fitness, but the fact he did so from the club's training base at London Colney, all but confirming he has stayed behind for further treatment.

Arteta will hope to have the Ghana international available for the Premier League game at home to Wolves this Sunday. If not, then the north London derby against Tottenham next month is the target.

Partey joined Arsenal from Atletico Madrid on transfer deadline for £45m and caught the eye in the 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford at the beginning of November.

But when will he return to bolster the Gunners' midfield?

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.