January 01, (THEWILL) – Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has been ruled out of Ghana’s squad for the upcoming 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament due to a troublesome hamstring injury, it was confirmed on Monday.
The 30-year-old has made nearly 50 appearances for the national team since his debut in 2016 and was part of the squad at last year’s World Cup in Qatar. However, the injury that has plagued Partey for a couple of months has ultimately cost him his place at AFCON.
Ghana head coach Chris Hughton explained that while Partey has been working hard on his recovery, the cautious approach required means he will not be match fit in time. “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,” Hughton said.
Partey had been captaining the side recently and his absence is a big blow to Ghana’s hopes of success. The Black Stars have a rich history at AFCON, reaching at least the semi-finals six times between 2008 and 2017. However, their last title came back in 1982, when legend Abedi Pele was just starting his iconic career. With Partey missing, Ghana will have to tweak their midfield if they are to win their first AFCON in over 40 years.
The tournament gets underway in 12 days in Ivory Coast. Ghana have been drawn against Cape Verde, Egypt and Mozambique in Group B. They will be hoping their new-look squad without Partey can navigate this tricky group and make a run deep into the knockout stages. Arsenal too will have their fingers crossed that their midfield talisman can return to full fitness in time for the second half of the season as they fumbled through the holidays.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
