Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admits that having Thomas Partey absent has been a blow this season.

The Gunners have not been able to call on the all-action, creative midfielder for many games.

Arteta's injury claim regarding Partey reflects his desire to have his best players available for selection every weekend.

“It's a big concern because he's such an important player for us and he was getting some momentum at the start of the season and then we lost him for a while," Arteta stated, per the Athletic.

"Now it's been a long time without him & he gives us something very different that no other player can give us in the squad. He's been a real miss.

“They've been different kind of injuries. Not everything is about luck but there are a lot of things that are very difficult to control as well.

“The player has a history where he had some issues in the past but we have to try to protect him & do everything that we can to try to avoid it again."