Mikel Arteta provides update on Thomas Partey ahead of North London derby

Arsenal won 4-1 against Rapid Wien in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, but star signing Thomas Partey did not feature due to injury.

The Ghanaian international has missed out on Arsenal's last four games in all competitions due to a thigh injury, but Mikel Arteta has provided an update on his availability for this weekend's North London derby.

Speaking after the Europa League game, Arteta said "Well, he's putting a lot of pressure on us".

"He's training tomorrow with us and let's see how it goes in the next couple of days."

However, he also emphasised how careful he needs to be with Partey's situation, saying "He's been training separately in the last week or so, so we have to scan him again to see how he's feeling. He's a player that's so willing that he's pushing us every day because he wants to do it."

"At the same time we have to protect and make sure that when he gets back into the team he's ready to do that to whatever extent that we can use him."

"So this week is going to be crucial, the moment he's going to start to train with the team to see how he's feeling and how he's evolving day to day."

Arsenal also have David Luiz and Calum Chambers possibly returning for the game against Tottenham Hotspur, but Gabriel Martinelli is only set to return to playing with the under-23s later this month.