Arsenal have been handed a massive boost with Thomas Partey returning to training.
The £45m summer signing from Atletico Madrid has missed the last five games across all competitions with a thigh injury sustained in the North London Derby defeat against Tottenham at the beginning of the month.
Mikel Arteta's decision to risk the Arsenal midfielder against Spurs backfired late in the first-half.
With the Gunners surrendering possession in search of an equaliser, they found themselves exposed to a counter-attack.
Giovani Lo Celso was allowed to carry the ball forward as space opened up for him, he then played in Son Heung-min who then slipped in Harry Kane to smash the ball past Bernd Leno at his near post.
Upon closer inspection of the goal, the reason Spurs had a 5v2 advantage was because Partey had limped towards the touchline after appearing to suffer a recurrence of his thigh injury.
The midfielder was pushed back on to the pitch by Arteta, but it was clear he couldn't continue and that proved to be a decisive moment for both teams.
As mentioned earlier, Partey has played no part in the last five Arsenal games and looks certain to miss the Boxing Day clash against Chelsea.
However, his return may not be too far away.
Ahead of the game at the Emirates Stadium, Partey was put through his paces at the club's London Colney training base.
It was an individual session and the best bits have been uploaded to the Ghana international's Instagram page.
As seen in the post above, Partey is doing a lot of exercise work in the gym, running outside, and some ball work with one of Arsenal's fitness coaches.
Showing he's more than just a footballer, Partey had an inspirational message from Arsenal fans following his big return to training.
"Recovery sessions," he said. "Work hard to achieve your goals and never give up on your dreams."
Judging by the 1.25-minute video, the midfielder was moving around very well and he shouldn't be too far off training with the rest of the first-team squad.
