Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta has disclosed that Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey needed more play time to gear him up for the North London derby.
Partey recently returned from an injury he picked up in pre-season, and there were fears over the weekend as to whether he will be fit for the Tottenham clash after appearing to limp off while he was substituted.
However, the 28-year-old played an hour as the Gunners beat Wimbledon 3-0 in the EFL Cup.
“He needs games and he needs rhythm,” Arteta told Sky Sports shortly after the final whistle. He was demanding to play because he believes that he is still catching up a little bit,” added the Spaniard.
“Yes it was. He hasn’t played a lot of minutes since he’s been injured. We believe the rhythm of matches is nothing like any training session. I think it was very beneficial for him.
“We didn’t think so and that’s why we made the decision to play him – but it’s always a risk when you play a match or have a training session at the intensity that we train. We believe it was the right thing to do and he was really pushing for it, so I think it worked out well.”