Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey did not play a part in Ghana's 2-0 win over Switzerland on Thursday afternoon.
The 29-year-old was given a well deserved rest by Otto Addo as the Black Stars prepare for the World Cup in Qatar. With group stage fixtures against South Korea, Uruguay and Portugal to come over the next few weeks, Partey will need to be at his scintillating best if Ghana are to qualify for the knockout rounds.
You certainly wouldn't put it past the former Atletico Madrid man. He has been in sensational form for the Gunners so far this season, helping Mikel Arteta's side to the top the Premier League table.
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Arsenal's No. 5 has appeared 11 times for the Gunners in the Premier League, scoring two goals in the process. He has become an indispensable member of the side and has formed a formidable partnership with Granit Xhaka and Martin Odegaard in the Arsenal midfield.
With Ghana facing three high quality teams in the World Cup group stage, Partey is expected to start all three games, fitness permitting. And if Ghana progress to the knockout rounds of the tournament, he will most probably continue to be selected from the start.
This is potentially a scary thought for Gunners fans across the world, as this means Partey could play three games in eight days. If Ghana progress to the final, he could play seven games in 24 days.
Although Ghana reaching the final is extremely unlikely, the fact the African side will play at least three highly intense games in Qatar will leave Arteta sweating over Partey's fitness. The midfielder has struggled with injuries during his time at the Emirates Stadium and any length of time out would be a problem for the Gunners.
Albert Sambi Lokonga and Mohamed Elneny have admirably filled in when Partey has been injured in the past, but there is still a clear gulf in class between the pair and the Ghanaian. This means that, should the unthinkable happen and Partey return to London Colney with an injury, Edu may need to dip into the January transfer window to sign a more able replacement.
Youri Tielemans, Danilo, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Ruben Neves have all been tipped to join the Gunners over the past 12 months, although in truth it's unclear who Edu and Mikel Arteta are targeting. Asked if the Gunners will be busy in January, Arteta said earlier this month: "I don’t know, it’s so unpredictable this window particularly with a World Cup in middle.
"We will have a look, we will try to get the squad stronger and as well be active because you don’t know what’s gonna happen in that World Cup. Touch wood everyone will be ok."
Asked if the squad is short, Arteta added: "It is short and we have used players like, for example Marquinhos, who we had other plans but he has been an important player and a player who has the capacity. We have had injuries as well.
"Mo [Elneny] has been out for three months, Thomas [Partey] was out for a period and we had Alex [Zinchenko] out for a long time too. We have had to adapt and we are willing to do that. The demands are going to be really big for everybody and we have to be ready for that."
So, going by those comments, Arsenal signing a central midfielder in January could come down to whether or not Partey comes back fit after representing Ghana at the World Cup. Arteta, along with every other Arsenal fan, will be hoping that is certainly the case.
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