Mikel Arteta has told Arsenal’s official website that Thomas Partey was struggling for fitness last night and found it tough to even last for an hour in the game.
Partey is only just coming back from injury, but he was selected to start from the off for Arsenal against Southampton.
When the defensive midfielder was withdrawn he appeared to be limping as he walked off.
But Arteta wasn’t too sure over how severe Partey’s injury problem was.
The Arsenal boss said: “We don’t know, we don’t know. He was feeling some discomfort and hopefully it’s nothing, but he was struggling.
“You could see today that he could not last for 60 minutes, so we have to manage those players, to protect them. Sometimes they are not fit but I cannot explain every single day how every player is feeling.”
Arsenal fans will desperately be hoping that Partey is not suffering with another injury.
It is clear to see how much class the Ghanaian adds to Arsenal’s midfield when he is fit, as he starred yesterday once again, despite not being fully fit.
Partey helped Arsenal to a 3-1 win, and he excelled during his time on the pitch.
If Arsenal can now keep Partey fit, then he looks set to play a massive role between now and the end of the season, with the Gunners rapidly climbing the table in recent weeks.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
