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Topics: Thomas Partey, Arsenal, Mikel Arteta, Football, Gabriel Jesus, Premier League
Joe Adams
Topics: Thomas Partey, Arsenal, Mikel Arteta, Football, Gabriel Jesus, Premier League
Mikel Arteta has suggested that Thomas Partey could be fit for Arsenal's trip to Leicester on Saturday.
The 29-year-old has missed the Gunners' last two matches against Manchester City and Aston Villa after sustaining a muscle injury.
New signing Jorginho was forced to step up in his place, scoring a stoppage time winner during Arsenal's 4-2 victory at Villa Park.
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However, Arteta has hinted that Partey could play a part on the weekend, as the north London side look to extend their lead at the top of the table to five points.
When asked about team news in his pre-match press conference, Arteta said: "The question mark is on Thomas. He hasn’t trained much but it looks like he could be available, so let’s see how he trains today.
“He’s a really important player for us, who we missed in the last few games. Hopefully he can be available.”
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The Gunners boss also provided an update on Gabriel Jesus' return to fitness.
The Brazilian has been sidelined with a knee injury since before the World Cup, but recently returned to training.
Arteta mentioned that the striker was "pushing the boundaries" in order to get back to full match fitness.
“He’s progressing really well,” he said. “He’s doing more and more on the field and he’s not reacting [negatively], so that’s really positive.
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“We want to have him as quickly as possible but also respect the timeframe we got from the doctor and the specialists. He’s really pushing the boundaries right now.”
Jesus was involved in all four goals last time Arsenal played Leicester at the Emirates.
After scoring a brace in the first half, he set up Granit Xhaka and Gabriel Martinelli to beat the Foxes 4-2.
However, this time round, goal scoring responsibilities will fall to Eddie Nketiah.
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Despite scoring the winner in Arsenal's enthralling 3-2 victory over Manchester United in January, the 23-year-old hasn't found the back of the net since.
The Englishman came under fire for his performance against Manchester City recently after squandering a handful of opportunities which helped Pep Guardiola's men to a 3-1 victory.
He will be hoping to rediscover his shooting boots at the King Power Stadium this weekend.