Arsenal have suffered a double injury blow with midfielder Thomas Partey and striker Gabriel Jesus both set to miss “a few weeks”.
Ghana international Partey sustained a muscle injury in the final training session before the midweek Champions League win at Sevilla, a match in which Jesus scored before limping off late on.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta, speaking ahead of tomorrow’s Premier League game at home to struggling Sheffield United, said: “Thomas has a muscle injury and we expect him to be out for a few weeks.
“Gabi’s scan showed there is a muscle injury and we will lose him for a few weeks again.
“With Gabi I can’t give you a [more exact] timeframe as he always surprises us, but there is something there.
“It’s true that he’s had quite a lot of load for the [Brazil] national team and playing those games for us which he hasn’t done for a long, long time. It’s really bad news for us.”
???????? Jesus’ emphatic finish takes top spot ????#UCLGOTW | @Heineken pic.twitter.com/5LC2IN6b2n
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 27, 2023
Arsenal strengthened over the summer with the likes of Declan Rice and Kai Havertz coming in, and Arteta has spoken previously about having greater faith in his squad, but he admits losing two key players is still a disappointment.
He added: “It’s one thing to rotate, it’s another to have the squad at the level to pick the right players to rotate at the right moment.
“If not, then you rotate for the first game and, after that, the squad has to carry on playing with the injuries. That’s what we want to avoid but with the schedule we have we knew it was going to happen, it happens to every club in the Premier League.”
Partey’s injury will force Arteta to continue his reliance on Rice, the £100million acquisition from West Ham.
“He has been terrific for us,” said Arteta. “He has really performed at the highest level in the biggest games and that’s what you want.”
