Big boost for Arsenal! Injured Thomas Partey set to return ahead of schedule despite Africa Cup of Nations snub

The Ghanaian midfielder has been plagued with multiple injuries throughout his Arsenal career but things took a turn for the worse at the beginning of the season as he picked up a groin issue. He briefly returned to action in October, only to be sidelined with yet another long-term muscular injury.

Since then, Partey has remained out of action and was omitted from Ghana's final squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations after being included in their preliminary group. But now The Mirror reports that the 30-year-old has shown progress in his rehabilitation work and could return to the Gunners' first team ahead of their Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest on January 30.

Last week, manager Mikel Arteta provided an update on the midfielder's condition where he did not sound too optimistic about his return, as the Spaniard claimed that the player was far from returning to training with the team.

There has been a sudden dip in Arsenal's form after a strong start to the season, as they have gone winless in their last four matches across all competitions. They lost their last two Premier League games against West Ham and Fulham respectively and then went down 2-0 against Liverpool in the FA Cup third round. They will be next seen in action on January 20 against Crystal Palace.