'Partey's injury similar to last season' - Arsenal's Arteta updates ahead of Aston Villa clash

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed midfielder Thomas Partey will be subjected to another scan to know the extent of his injury.

The Ghanaian injured his thigh in training and missed the team's 2-1 Premier League win against Fulham last Saturday at the Emirates Stadium. The former Atletico Madrid star is set to miss another match on Wednesday alongside Oleksandr Zinchenko, who is nursing a knee problem.

"I don't think [the duo will recover in time to play Aston Villa on Wednesday]," Arteta confirmed to the club's website ahead of the fixture.

"We still have to make another scan, especially on Thomas [Partey], to see the length but I do not think they will be available.

"It is a similar area [to the one that kept Partey out last season], but hopefully not as bad."

Last season - on April 4, the 29-year-old injured his thigh at Selhurst Park in a 3-0 loss against Crystal Palace. He went on to miss the rest of the season and his absence was felt by the Gunners who went on to miss out on the Champions League places.

It is not clear for how long Partey will be out, but he will certainly miss a crunch Premier League tie at Old Trafford against Manchester United this weekend.

Arsenal have started the season in good form. They defeated Palace 2-0 in their first game of the campaign before following it up with a 4-2 win at home over Leicester City. In their third match, they silenced AFC Bournemouth 3-0.

"The most pleasing thing is the performances with the results," Arteta reflected on the past matches.

"The way we are playing, what we transmit as a team and then getting that into winning football matches - there is the reason why we are where we are.

"There is still a lot to improve. There is room individually and collectively in many areas that we have to do."