Arsenal have been handed a timely injury boost as Ghana international midfielder Thomas Partey has finally returned to first-team training.
The 30-year-old has not played since coming on against Manchester City back in October, sustaining a knock in training ahead of the Champions League game against Sevilla.
Partey had to undergo surgery and was forced to miss the Africa Cup of Nations as his recovery was still ongoing when the tournament started on January 13.
Ghana are out of the competition after failing to win any of their group games, and the Arsenal star would have returned to North London this week had he travelled to Ivory Coast.
The Gunners return to action on Tuesday when they travel to the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest, and Arsenal took to social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) to share a picture of the former Atletico Madrid midfielder in training.
It remains to be seen whether Partey could be available for selection for the trip as the game could come too soon for him, but he is expected to be ready for action when Liverpool visit Emirates Stadium on Sunday (February 4).
Arsenal are five points behind the Reds in the Premier League table after 21 games, and they have a chance to cut down that gap with a victory when they meet, so having the Ghanaian available will be a huge and timely boost.
Partey has played just five games this term and manager Mikel Arteta has been denied the opportunity to keep opponents guessing his selection process given the versatility of the midfielder.
The Ghana international can also play at right-back despite primarily being a midfielder and was playing frequently in the position before injury struck.
His return will give Arsenal much-needed depth across two positions, and Arteta will be looking forward to the return of Jurrien Timber too as he needs everyone available when the title run-in begins.
