MIKEL ARTETA is ready to finally unleash Thomas Partey at Bramall Lane.
The Arsenal midfielder has been out for four months having suffered a thigh injury back in October – and was due to return earlier this year but for a slight setback.
As a result, Partey has played just 15 minutes of football for the club since August.
However, he has now trained on successive days with the first-team and will travel to Sheffield United for the Gunners’ Premier League clash on Monday night.
On Partey’s inclusion against the Blades, Arteta said: “He should be part of the squad. He had a session before the last game and now he’s done two or three consecutive sessions.”
Partey is just one of several players returning to full fitness as Arsenal’s medical room begins to empty at a crucial stage of the campaign.
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Oleksandr Zinchenko [calf], Gabriel Jesus [knee] and Takehiro Tomiyasu [calf] could also make Monday’s squad.
The return of four key faces would then just leave long-term absentee Jurrien Timber on the comeback trail as he begins light training with the team after ACL surgery in August.
Jesus returned to the bench last weekend against Newcastle but was an unused substitute.
Arteta is confident the Brazilian will NOT need another surgery this summer, despite struggling with fluid in the knee.
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On his availability to start from the off, Arteta added: “He’s fit enough. How long he will last that’s something different.
“We didn’t want to take any risks after the result we had against Newcastle.
“We need him fit, he’s a massive player for us and now we want to make sure we load him in the right way.”
With title rivals Manchester City and Liverpool struggling with injury issues, Arsenal’s recovery rate could tip the scales in the final weeks of the season.
Asked what a fully fit squad will bring to the table, Arteta explained: “Unpredictability is one thing. Then depth because we don’t know what’s going to happen.
“We’re going to have a lot of games. Freshness, more competition in the squad, the capacity to change games when the scenario is on our side and when we’re chasing games.
“That’s something that is going to be critical.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
