Thomas Partey not included in Ghana's AFCON squad

Thomas Partey has not been included in Ghana's squad for the 2023 African Cup of Nations.

The tournament, which has been delayed by six months and will now take place midway through the Premier League season, gets underway on 13 January 2024 and Partey was expected to participate for Ghana despite his lengthy injury absence.

The midfielder has barely featured for Arsenal this season, with his last appearance coming off the bench in the Gunners' 1-0 win over Manchester City on 8 October.

Partey underwent surgery on his thigh at the start of November and had hoped to return to action in the new year.

Thomas Partey not included in Ghana's AFCON squad

Partey is a hugely important figure for his nation, and his omission has undoubtedly come as a surprise.

However, Ghana boss Chris Hughton confirmed that his absence from the squad is purely injury-related.

“Withstanding his injury, he certainly would be in the squad. We know the quality of player that he is. This is a player that has a substantial injury," Hughton said following his squad announcement.

''Arsenal will treat this injury with caution, and so will the player [Partey]. This is a big injury for him, the biggest injury he’s had. From all the information we’ve been given, the timelines of his recovery and the caution that will be taken, [his recovery] will not meet our timelines for the AFCON," he added.

So, while Partey will undergo the final stages of his recovery in north London, it doesn't appear as if he'll be back in action anytime soon. Fortunately for the Gunners, their schedule calms down somewhat in January following the hectic festive period. Arsenal will play just three times this month if they're knocked out of the FA Cup by Liverpool next week.

Mikel Arteta will hope that Partey will return to full fitness at some point this month, especially given his side's recent malaise. However, the 30-year-old's unreliability means we can't exactly pinpoint when he'll be back in red and white.