The Ghana international missed the trip to Old Trafford after picking an injury in training before Arsenal’s 2-1 victory against Fulham at the Emirates Stadium on August 27.
He was forced to miss the visit of Aston Villa on August 31 as the Gunners struggled to win 2-1 and on Sunday, he sat out of the fixture against the Red Devils which saw them suffer their first defeat of the season.
The 29-year-old Black Star, who joined Arsenal from Atletico Madrid on October 5, 2020, has struggled with injuries and last season, he missed the season run in which saw Arsenal miss out on a Champions League spot as they finished fifth on the table.
His absence against the Red Devils has elicited mixed reactions among fans on social media.
Reactions By Social Media Users
“We were missing Thomas Partey… ,” @rickyenglish_ said on Twitter while @MykaelDon said: “The absence of Thomas Partey cost us. Do you now see the advantages of having more good players for replacement?”
@ltarsenal explained: “Arsenal’s loss today [Sunday] was due to the loss of Thomas Partey, which is an extension of the last season,” while @FrancisHemans1 opined: “I have said this before, I will say again and again, Thomas Partey is Arsenal’s most important player.”
“Arsenal can now realise how they lack a solid No. 6 in absence of Thomas Partey,” added @IgnKwatampora while @VayolentTweets supported him by saying: “Thomas Partey is way too important than we think.”
@CFCGabby wrote: “Thomas Partey’s absence is a big blow for Arsenal. He’s the engine of the team.”
Meanwhile, another group of supporters have blamed the team’s top management for their failure to reinforce the squad with a replacement for Partey.
“Our midfield without Thomas Partey is so average,” said @AdriansArsenal, adding: “Maybe we should’ve signed a midfielder. Fair play to Man United, but that midfield without Partey is average.”
@Black_dragoneel wrote: “We need a permanent replacement for Thomas Partey. We can’t be having our main midfielder always out injured,” while @iAmOssai wrote: “I need to get Thomas Partey out of this Arsenal team so we can get another DM and move on.
“His injuries are too costly, we can’t keep paying him to be at the hospital.”
@kolatoye said: “Thomas Partey is not dependable and should be replaced as soon as possible.”
According to @skip2_mylew, Arsenal will miss out on top four this season, if Partey goes ahead to miss 10 matches.
“If Thomas Partey misses more than 10 Premier League games this season then we’re not getting top four, he’s that important,” he explained.
Elsewhere, @dun_dreams is praying for the Black Star to recover quickly from the injury and play 30 matches in a season.
“I pray for Thomas Partey. If only he could stay fit for just 30 matches, the man’s name will go down as one of the best footballers to play his position. God, please help my man.”
Before the injury, Partey had featured in Arsenal’s 2-0 season opener against Crystal Palace, the 4-2 victory against Leicester City and the 3-0 away win against Bournemouth.
Source: Goal
