Ghana boss Chris Hughton has explained why Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey didn't feature against Angola on Monday evening.
"Thomas has some small issues, a small injury issue and we felt it was too big of a risk to start him," Hughton said when asked why Partey was on the bench for the AFCON qualifier. The 29-year-old has suffered from numerous injuries since joining the Gunners back in October 2020.
In those two-and-a-half years, he has missed a total of 33 matches through injury, a huge frustration to manager Mikel Arteta considering Partey's importance to the Spaniard's system. It is currently unclear if the former Atletico Madrid man will miss Saturday's Premier League fixture against Leeds United, with William Saliba also a doubt following a lower back issue he picked up earlier this month.
