Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta has explained the reason why Thomas Partey brought a fitness coach along to international duty.
The Ghanaian international was accompanied by club physio Simon Murphy for the back-to-back matches against Angola in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The 29 year old captained the Black Stars in the 1-0 win over the Palancras Negras in Kumasi before he was rested in the return leg in Luanda.
Arteta highlighted the club’s good relationship with the Ghana Football Association over the years and thanked the governing body for their cooperation.
“It’s something we’ve done in the past. We have a really good relationship with the Ghanaian federation, and we have to manage and look after our players. They’ve been really positive about it as well, we tried to help as much as possible – I think it works both ways.
“Obviously, he wasn’t fit enough to play in the second game but hopefully he’s going to be back for the weekend” the manager said in front of the media during his pre-match press conference at London Colney.
