Thomas Partey injury update provided by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta

Arsenal were dealt a huge injury blow before Wednesday’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester City when Thomas Partey was ruled out of the game.

The Ghanaian had trained with his Arsenal teammates on Tuesday as normal, but news broke hours before kick off that Partey had picked up a niggle and would not take part in the top of the table clash at the Emirates Stadium.

His absence was certainly felt as City overpowered Arsenal to reach the summit of the Premier League table, and there’s been a clamour from the club’s supporters to learn the extent of the problem.

But Mikel Arteta was unable to give much away in his pre-match press conference ahead of the trip to Aston Villa on Saturday, and said of Partey’s progress when asked: “We have to assess him today again.

“He had some discomfort, a little muscle discomfort. We have to assess him and see how he is.”

Partey’s place in Arsenal’s midfield was taken by January signing Jorginho, but the Italian failed to make the kind of impact needed to try and contain City’s midfield despite seeing plenty of the ball.

But Arteta suggested he was happy enough with Jorginho’s performance, and said of Partey’s replacement: “He’s really good. He’s come in to the team and earned the respect of everybody. I think he had a really good game.”

Arteta also confirmed Emile Smith Rowe could be part of Arsenal’s squad at the weekend, but the game will come too soon for Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus. He’s been out of action since December after undergoing surgery on a knee injury – one that ruled him out of the World Cup following an impressive start to life in north London.