Thomas Partey Quickly Recovers From Illness After Missing AFCON Qualifiers

• Thomas Partey is set to make a return to action for Arsenal after missing the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers with Ghana
• The Black Stars captain failed to travel for the two-legged game after he was declared unfit for the matches against Sudan
• Partey is expected to start for the Gunners when they engage AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday

Black Stars captain Thomas Partey has been declared fit for Arsenal's Premier League game against AFC Bournemouth on Saturday, October 18, 2024.

The Ghana international missed October's Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Sudan after it was reported that he was unfit despite being named in the squad.

Two days before the team reported for the international assignment, Partey had featured for the Gunners in their game against Southampton, lasting 84 minutes of the 3-1 victory.

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However, the Ghana Football Association announced on their official website he was unavailable for the double-header when camp opened.

Ahead of the return of the English Premier League on Saturday, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta confirmed Partey is fit and ready for the game against Bournemouth.

"Yes. Thomas is fit, yes," he said at the pre-match presser, as quoted by the club's official website.

Partey has been a key figure for Arsenal this season, starring regularly for the club in the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.

Partey missed during qualifiers

It was obvious the absence of the Arsenal midfielder affected the Black Stars during October's AFCON qualifiers as Ghana failed to win in both games.

The Black Stars were held in Accra to a goalless draw before suffering a 2-0 defeat to Sudan in Libya.

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This has left the West Africans on the brink of missing the tournament in Morocco next year.

Raya saves Thomas Partey's blushes

Earlier, Briefly News reported that the Spanish shot-stopper's reflexes came into play just six minutes after the restart when he produced a stunning double save to prevent the Italian side from taking the lead.

Raya's heroics followed a clumsy moment from Partey, who had been an ever-present figure in Arsenal’s Premier League outings this season. The Ghanaian midfielder was caught out of position and, in an attempt to recover, pulled Ederson by the hand with the slightest of touches. This resulted in a penalty after a VAR review.

Source: YEN.com.gh