"Wasn't able to train in the last few days" - Mikel Arteta rules out key Arsenal man's involvement in PL fixture against Liverpool

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has ruled out Thomas Partey from the Premier League clash against Liverpool on Sunday (February 4).

Partey's 2023-24 season has been seriously hampered due to multiple injuries. He last featured for the Gunners in October 2023, playing 15 minutes in a 1-0 league win against Manchester City.

The Ghana international has since been sidelined with a hamstring injury. He seemed to be recovering well and a potential return was on the cards in early February, but he has apparently suffered a setback in training.

Asked about Partey's availability against the Merseyside outfit, Arteta said at his pre-match presser (h/t Simon Collins of the Evening Standard):

"He [Thomas Partey] felt something again in a very similar area and he wasn't able to train the last few days."

The 30-year-old will, as a result, miss the highly-important fixture against the Reds at the Emirates. Recently, Arsenal have been playing with an inverted pyramid in midfield where Declan Rice sits as the lone No. 6.

One can expect the same set-up against Liverpool. This match will be a litmus test for both team's title credentials. The visitors are top of the tree after 22 matches with 51 points to their name, leading third-placed Arsenal by five points.

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Liverpool legend urges Arsenal to hand Mikel Arteta a new deal

Former Liverpool centre-back Jamie Carragher has urged Arsenal to hand Mikel Arteta a new deal amidst the latter's links with Barcelona.

Xavi Hernandez will leave Barca at the end of the season and Arteta has been named as a potential successor. Despite the Spaniard publicly denying any such links, Carragher believes the Gunners will be wise to renew his deal, which expires in the summer of 2025.

The Englishman wrote in the Telegraph (h/t GoonerTalk):

"Here is some free advice for Arsenal: get Mikel Arteta tied to a new contract at the earliest opportunity. Strike while the iron is hot. Liverpool are entering a period of uncertainty when Jurgen Klopp leaves at the end of the season, and there are persistent rumours that Pep Guardiola will soon feel his work is done at Manchester City.

"Who knows how Guardiola will react if City are heavily punished after the Premier League hearing for alleged spending breaches. What a message it would send if Arteta was committed to the Emirates for another four years, vowing to reap the rewards of the foundations he has laid."

It is worth mentioning that Arteta was Pep Guardiola's assistant manager at Manchester City before joining Arsenal as their head coach in December 2019. Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp, like Xavi, will retire from his post as Liverpool's manager at the end of the current campaign.