Mikel Arteta has told Thomas Partey what he must provide for Arsenal as he returns from injury.
Partey has struggled with injury since arriving at Arsenal on a big-money deal from Atletico Madrid last year, missing 21 games in total.
The last four of those games have been due to an ankle injury which has seen Partey miss out on the Gunners’ first three games of the season.
Having lost all three of those games, Arsenal will be delighted to welcome back their midfield enforcer ahead of their clash with Norwich City tomorrow.
And ahead of that clash, Gunners boss Arteta has explicityly told Partey what he wants from him upon his return to fitness.
“He’s been missed for the last year or so because he missed almost six months of competition last year, which is a lot,” Arteta said in his press conference, as quoted by the Evening Standard.
“He also came very late in the transfer window [last year]. It’s a player that has to be one of the leaders, he has to be the boss in midfield and one of the senior players that has to carry responsibility and lead the young players. We have been missing that big time.
“He’s a player that has that winning culture because he has won a lot in the game already. To have this kind of players in the team is extremely important. He has a huge role to play in the team.”
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Partey is yet to live up to his price tag having joined Arsenal on a deal worth around £45million, a fee noted by Transfermarkt.
But the Ghana international will now be looking to kick on as he recovers from his fourth injury since joining the Gunners only a year ago.