Mikel Arteta: It’s good to have Thomas Partey back at Arsenal

Partey was away from the Gunners for a month as Ghana returned to the world stage as one of 32 countries in Qatar.

The 29-year-old played in all three group games but was powerless to stop the Black Stars from exiting at the group stages.

Otto Addo’s side lost 3-2 to Portugal but recovered to beat South Korea by the same scoreline, only to lose to Uruguay in the final group match.

Partey has since returned to Arsenal and was handed a start when the Gunners defeated AC Milan in a friendly on Tuesday.

Arteta said the midfielder was disappointed after Ghana’s exit from the World Cup, but noted that he was happy to have him back.

“He played a lot and he was disappointed by the way he had to leave the World Cup but it happens to every nation that they are out. It takes a few days to reset and to focus on the team,” the Arsenal boss said.

“The good thing we have is that everybody has been showing that they are desperate to get back as quickly as possible. It was really good to have those two back today playing some minutes.”

Partey has been a key member of the Gunners this season as they sit at the summit of the Premier League table.