We have to protect him- Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta opens up on Partey’s injury troubles

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is worried by Ghana midfielder Thomas Parteys recurring injury at the early stages of his career with the English Premier League club.Thomas Partey has made only 12 appearances since moving to the Gunners due to injuries, and last Sunday he suffered another setback in the defeat to Aston Villa keeping him on the sidelines again.The ex-Atletico Madrid Star will miss the game against Leeds United in the Premier League, as well as the Europa cup match against Benfica and the big clash with Manchester City.His absence has become a major concern for Arteta, who insists the Ghanaian must be protected but remains confident the 27-year-old will be back in good shape.Last time we gave him more time to recover and he came back in good shape, but he was not fit enough to sustain that for 90 minutes, said Arteta.That is why we kept subbing him and trying to protect him. I think he has played 90 only once since coming back from injury.Now we have to protect him, make sure that he is fit and ready to come back as soon as possible – but knowing that we need the player long term as well.Meanwhile, the Spanish gaffer believes Parteys 45 million pounds price tag adds pressure on him to deliver hence his quick returns from injuries.He knows how much he cost and that adds a bit of pressure, said the manager.When you are not able to play you want to hurry up and do everything quicker, and show everybody how good you are and have a big impact on the team.That creates some anxiety for sure. Then the physical aspect, when you look at the outputs he needs to put in when he was playing in Spain or now, are pretty different.By Lukman Abdul Mumin