Mikel Arteta confirms double Arsenal injury blow as key duo face weeks out

The Gunners have been hit by a double injury blow ahead of this weekend’s Premier League game.

Gabriel Jesus and Thomas Partey face a “few weeks” out of action, according to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.

Jesus, who had missed a lot of the season because of knee surgery, now has a hamstring injury. The striker got the injury in the 2-1 Champions League win over Sevilla on Tuesday. He said it was not too serious afterward, but scans later showed he had a muscle injury.

“The scans show that there is a muscle injury. We might miss Gabriel for a few weeks again,” Arteta explained in a press conference on Friday, as quoted by Football London.

“With Gabriel, I cannot give you any time frame because he always surprises us. He felt something there, it was a really awkward action. It’s true that he had quite a lot of load in those games playing with the national team and with us which he hasn’t done in a long, long time. That’s really bad news for us.”

Meanwhile, Partey, who just came back from a groin injury, experienced a new muscle issue during Monday’s training. As a result, the midfielder is also likely to be unavailable for a few weeks.

On the topic of Partey’s injury, Arteta stated, “Partey has got a muscle injury and we expect him to be out for a few weeks.

“We don’t know the extent of it still, he has more tests today. He got that injury in training, with the last kick of the ball. Very unfortunate.”

The absence of these key players poses a challenge for Arsenal. They’ll face Sheffield United in the Premier League on Saturday. A trip to West Ham awaits next Wednesday in the EFL Cup, before the team heads to Newcastle the following weekend.