Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has raised his doubts about the imminent return of his injured Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey despite some positive news about a possible return.

Partey has been sidelined with a thigh injury he suffered during their 3-0 league defeat against Crystal Palace at the Selhurst Park with 16 minutes left to play two weeks ago

His coach Mikel Arteta had earlier revealed that no return date had been set for the player who has suffered the injury in a similar position in his previous injury.

However, Arteta's latest comments suggest that Partey could be ruled out of action for the rest of the season.

"Yes, the news that we got after a lot of assessments is not great. It's not looking very positive for his availability this season, but we'll have to wait and see because he's trying to get back as quickly as possible, but at the moment we are not very optimistic about it." Arteta said.

He was expected to be out of action for a least six weeks but the Ghanaian has been seen hitting the gym on a thread mill meaning his return is imminent.

Arsenal midfielder, Thomas Partey is set for a quick return from injury after he posted videos of himself working hard at the gym.

The 28-year-old shared a video on his personal Instagram account showing him exercising on a thread mill

Partey’s availability would be a massive boost to Arteta with his team having struggled to replace the 28-year-old in recent defeats against Brighton and Southampton.