Thomas Partey: Mikel Arteta to talk to midfielder after he walked off pitch vs Spurs

- Thomas Partey was a surprise starter as Arsenal took on Spurs during the London derby

- The tie was Partey's first in close to a month having been sidelined for days with a thigh problem

- Sunday's match ended in defeat for the Gunners, with the midfielder withdrawing in the first half

Mikel Arteta has vowed to "talk" to Thomas Partey following the midfielder's decision to leave the pitch just before Harry Kane put Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 up during the London derby.

Kane and Heung-Min Son combined perfectly to down the Gunners during the Sunday evening, December 6, clash.

Both forwards set up each other in the first half of the meeting to guide Jose Mourinho's men to victory.

The crucial win helped Spurs reclaim their place on top of the standings with 24 points from 11 matches.

Partey was a surprise starter for Arsenal during the fixture, with Arteta drafting the Ghanaian in his starting XI despite earlier claiming the midfielder was set to be sidelined in "the next few games" with a thigh injury.

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Partey played a central role in helping the Emirates outfit dominate proceedings in the opening exchanges but sparked panic after he decided to leave the pitch with Kane well on course to score Spurs' second goal.

Replays from the incident showed Partey make his way out with Arsenal in possession before the homeside broke with speed in a stunning counterattack.

A concerned Arteta was seen trying to push Partey back to the field to help boost his side's defensive numbers.

However, the Ghanaian international appeared to be in pain from his injury and could not continue playing.

Arteta has now revealed he is yet to speak to the player on the incident, but promised to try understand what transpired.

"I haven’t spoken to him so I don’t know exactly how it happened or if he felt something really serious. I will look at it and we will talk about it," Metro UK quoted Arteta saying.

The ex-Atletico star has been out of action for close to a month now after he picked an injury during Arsenal's meeting with Leicester City.

Arteta's decision to play him seem to have have been a rushed decision, with the Spaniard confirming his star player suffered a recurrence of the same thigh problem.

Earlier, Legit.ng had reported how Mikel Arteta who is the handler of Premier League giants Arsenal confirmed that Ghana international Thomas Partey will have to undergo MRI after sustaining another injury.

Thomas Partey made a return to Arsenal's first team against Tottenham on Sunday night, December 6, in a tough London derby in which the Gunners were beaten 2-0.

The Ghanaian sustained another injury in the 45th minute against Spurs in which Mikel Arteta had to replace him with Daniel Ceballos.

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Source: Legit.ng