"Winning the CL", "The league is in trouble" - Arsenal fans ecstatic as long-term absentee returns to training
Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey was back in training on Thursday (January 25) after spending three months of action with a hamstring injury.
Partey hasn't played for the Gunners since early October after sustaining his long-term injury. This prevented the Ghanaian midfielder from representing his nation at the ongoing African Cup of Nations.
However, the 30-year-old was pictured back in training with Mikel Arteta's first team ahead of their league encounter with Nottingham Forest (January 30). It comes as a boost as Arsenal have struggled in his absence.
The Gunners have dropped down from first to third in the league and crashed out of the FA Cup to Liverpool. They have won just one and lost three of their last six outings in the Premier League.
Partey has made five appearances across competitions this season. His future was the subject of speculation last summer following Declan Rice's arrival from West Ham United.
The former Atletico Madrid man stayed put at the Emirates, but his injury issues have been problematic. Arteta admitted this back in October (via ESPN):
"He is a big concern because when Thomas is fit and available and he's been part of the team, we have seen what the results and the impact that he has on the team."
Partey could soon be back in action for Arsenal following his long spell on the sidelines and Gunners fans are excited.
One fan fired a warning to their Premier League rivals:
"The league is in trouble!!!"
Another fan tipped Arteta's men to win the UEFA Champions League:
"Winning the CL."
Here's how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to Partey's return from injury:
Mikel Arteta aims to use Arsenal's break this weekend to build on players' fitness levels
Arsenal won't be in action this weekend as they are no longer participating in the FA Cup. A 2-0 defeat at home to Liverpool knocked them out of the competition in the third round.
However, this gives Arteta the perfect opportunity to help manage his squad's fitness with rest. He alluded to this when speaking after his side beat Crystal Palace 5-0 in the league last Saturday (January 20) [via the club's official website]:
"Resting and looking after some players. At the moment we are really short in numbers, so we really have to manage a few players, especially players that have played a lot of football."
Arteta added:
"We have good training blocks, one to train really hard and other ones to use for game preparation, so we’re going to have to try to maximise that space."
Arsenal have are dealing with several absentees despite Partey's return from his hamstring problem. Jurrien Timber (knee) and Fabio Vieira (groin/hip) are sidelined at present while Mohamed Elneny (AFCON) and Takehiro Tomiyasu (Asia Cup) are away on international duty.