Hughton: Partey out of AFCON due to his 'biggest injury'

Thomas Partey has not been included in Ghana's squad for the tournament

Mon, 01 Jan, 2024 - 13:27

James Whelan

Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has been omitted from Ghana's 27-man squad for the African Cup of Nations, with manager Chris Hughton pointing to "the biggest injury" of Partey's career.

Partey has been out of action for Arsenal since the beginning of November, though recently reportedly returned to training, but Hughton says he won't recover in time for the tournament.

Hughton said: “Thomas Partey is one of our most important players. Without his injury, he certainly would be in the squad, we know the quality of player that he is. This is a player that suffered a substantial injury.

"I’ve spent a lot of this period of time with Thomas and also engaged the medical staff at Arsenal. They will treat this injury with caution, and so will the player. This is a big injury for him, the biggest injury he’s had.

"The most important thing for me as head coach is to give him the support he needs during this period of time. From all the information we’ve been given, the timelines of his recovery and the caution that will be taken will not meet our timelines for the AFCON.”

Brighton full-back Tariq Lamptey also misses out through injury, but West Ham United winger Mohammed Kudus has been included.