Injured Arsenal star Thomas Partey could miss the start of pre-season

Black Stars midfielder Thomas Partey may miss the start of Arsenal’s pre-season if he suffers another setback in his injury recovery, according to an injury expert.

The 28-year-old has not played since suffering a thigh injury in last month’s 3-0 loss at Crystal Palace on April 4.

Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta last weekend said that Partey is unlikely to return this season.

Dinnery believes the coach is correct in being cautious because a major setback could jeopardize Partey’s preseason plans.

Ghana are also keeping an eye on Partey’s injury situation as Black Stars return to action in early June with 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

“It’s always good to have targets and goals,” Dinnery said.

“They will hope they don’t need him to get them over the line with Champions League qualification. It’s about managing the situation well.

“If you rush him back, that could follow through to pre-season and then ultimately next season. It’s all about risk and reward,” he added.

“Given that he has suffered this type of injury before, this is a significant setback. We are looking at several weeks on the sidelines.

“If he was to suffer a recurrence of the injury, that would extend the timeline.

“Given that it is a World Cup year which has pushed pre-season forward, he could conceivably miss pre-season if he’s rushed back and suffers a setback,” he ended.