Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey reportedly expects to recover from a thigh injury before the upcoming international break.
The Ghana international has not played for the Gunners since sustaining his latest issue last month and has missed his side's last three Premier League games against Fulham, Aston Villa and Manchester United.
Partey has struggled to stay fit throughout his Arsenal career after initially joining from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2020, but he was recently called up to Ghana's squad for their September fixtures with Brazil and Nicaragua.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admitted earlier this month that Partey could take "weeks" to recover from the problem, and the Gunners unsuccessfully tried to add to their midfield ranks on transfer deadline day.
However, the Evening Standard claims that Partey is hopeful of being back in action for the Premier League leaders before the first international period of the season gets underway.
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The report adds that Partey is hopeful of being involved in team training at some point this week, but the Europa League clash with FC Zurich will come too soon for the 29-year-old to return.
The Gunners will welcome Everton to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday when they resume domestic action, and Partey supposedly has a slim chance of featuring against the Toffees.
The midfielder has two goals and four assists to boast from 62 outings in an Arsenal shirt in all competitions, but he has missed a further 34 games through injury.
Prior to signing for Arsenal, Partey had only ever sat out six games during his five-year spell as a senior Atletico Madrid player, and Arteta is at a loss to explain the sudden surge in his physical problems since arriving at the Emirates.
"We have tried to manage him. A lot has happened since he joined, obviously, and we are trying the best possible way to find the reasons," Arteta recently told a press conference.
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"Unfortunately the body and the mind are too difficult sometimes to understand and put a finger on a single thing to try to prevent something happening.
"The attitude of the player is there with his willingness. He is really disappointed again obviously as you can imagine and the team needs him."
While Partey may be fit to return from injury within the next couple of weeks, fellow midfielder Mohamed Elneny will spend months on the sidelines with his own thigh injury.
The Gunners' midfield ranks took another blow after the weekend's 3-1 loss to Manchester United, where Emile Smith Rowe appeared to sustain an injury in the warm-down, but the severity of his issue is currently unclear.
Albert Sambi Lokonga and Granit Xhaka have partnered up against Villa and Man United amid Partey and Elneny's woes after Arsenal supposedly failed with as many as three deadline-day offers for Douglas Luiz.
Ben Knapton
