Thomas Partey remains a doubt for Arsenal’s clash with Everton in the Premier League on Saturday, while Emile Smith Rowe will definitely not feature, confirms Mikel Arteta.
The Gunners go to Goodison Park in the early kick-off on Saturday hoping to extend their five-point lead at the top of the table as Manchester City do not play till Sunday.
But Arsenal will be without attacking midfielder Smith Rowe, who missed out on the Gunners’ 1-0 loss to Manchester City in the FA Cup last week with a minor thigh strain.
More concerningly for the Arsenal boss is that Partey is a doubt after the rib injury he picked up against Manchester City in the FA Cup last week.
The midfielder may feature at Everton, but the Spaniard could not confirm that he will be available on Merseyside.
‘Let’s see, that one is still a doubt. Let’s see today how he comes in and if he’s able to train with the team or not. We’ll make a decision,’ Arteta told a press conference on Friday.
‘He’s not ruled out and it’s nothing very significant, but it was significant to get him out of the game, which for Thomas is a bit unusual. Hopefully he will be fine.’
And providing there is no late issues, Aaron Ramsdale and Ben White are likely to return to the starting line-up. The pair were given a rest altogether against City but should be back.
Elsewhere, Gabriel Jesus has continued his recovery from knee surgery and posted an image on social media this week of him back on the training pitch. However, the Brazilian is still a few weeks away from being back in contention so he won’t be involved this weekend.
Reiss Nelson is back in full training after missing the last five weeks with a thigh injury but it remains to be seen whether he’s fit enough to return to the Arsenal squad for the trip to Everton.
The Gunners head to Goodison Park sitting five points clear of Manchester City with a game in hand so they can put the pressure on their title rivals with a win ahead of City’s trip to Tottenham on Sunday.
