By the time Arsenal plays Manchester City on March 31, they will have gone 22 days since having last played. In other words, they will be very well rested! The Gunners squad got some additional good news today, with announcements that both Thomas Partey and Gabriel Magalhaes have withdrawn from their respective national team squads due to precautionary reasons.
Typically, it’s bad news when your guys pull out of national team camps due to injury, but in this case, neither issue is considered worrisome. Let’s start with Gabriel, who miss out on both of Brazil’s friendlies this international period.
Latest Arsenal Injury News: go here
Brazil will face Spain next Tuesday, and England at Wembley Stadium on Friday. The Brazilian Federation announced that Juventus defender Bremer will replace Gabriel, as was decided by manager Doríval Junior.
Gabriel has a foot injury, but it is understood to not be too bad.
Shifting over to Partey, the Ghanian national team announced that the midfielder “asked to be excused from the game to gain full fitness following recent injuries,” and his request was obviously granted.
The 30-year-old has missed a ton of time this season, so Arsenal will be happy to have him back, and totally focused on being 100% fit for the run in of the season. The North London club is said to be very appreciative, naturally, of Ghana granting this request.
They’ll need all hands on deck, including Partey obviously, to beat out Arsenal and Manchester City for the league title.
The only major injury concerns right now are Gabriel Martinelli and Jurrien Timber.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.