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Arsenal have gotten a boost with Thomas Partey returning to training.
The £ 45m summer signing from Atlético Madrid has missed the last five games in all competitions with a thigh injury sustained in the North London Derby loss to Tottenham earlier this month.
Mikel Arteta’s decision to risk the Arsenal midfielder against Spurs fell through late in the first half.
With the Gunners giving up possession seeking a draw, they were exposed to a counterattack.
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Giovani Lo Celso was allowed to carry the ball forward as space opened for him, then he played on Son Heung-min, who then slid into Harry Kane to smash the ball to Bernd Leno at his first post.
Upon closer inspection of the goal, the reason the Spurs held a 5v2 lead was because Partey had limped towards the touchline after appearing to suffer a recurrence of his thigh injury.
The midfielder was pushed back onto the pitch by Arteta, but it was clear that he could not continue and that proved to be a watershed moment for both teams.
As mentioned above, Partey has played no role in Arsenal’s last five games and it seems certain that he will miss the Boxing Day clash against Chelsea.
However, their return may not be far off.
Before the game at the Emirates Stadium, Partey was tested at the club’s training base in London Colney.
It was a solo session and the best bits have been uploaded to the Instagram page of the Ghana international.
As seen in the post above, Partey is working out a lot in the gym, running outside and working the ball with one of Arsenal’s fitness trainers.
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Proving that he is more than a footballer, Partey received an inspiring message from Arsenal fans following his great return to training.
“Recovery sessions,” he said. “Work hard to achieve your goals and never give up on your dreams.”
Judging from the 1.25 minute video, the midfielder was moving very well and shouldn’t be too far from training with the rest of the first team squad.
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