Thomas Partey has pulled out of international duty and will remain with Arsenal. Despite starting the weekend match win over Southampton, the decision has been made that will see the midfielder miss back-to-back games with Sudan in the African Cup of Nations qualifying process.

A statement released by the Ghana Football Association read: “Thomas is unable to join the Black stars due to medical issues he is currently experiencing, and his club has scheduled him for further tests in the coming days.”

This may indeed indicate an illness more so than an injury, however, there are yet to be confirmation regarding the specific reason for the absence. Should this issue cause him to miss games for Arsenal after the break, football.london has broken down three players who could replace him in the Gunners midfield.

Mikel Merino

Having finally made his debut after weeks of waiting, the hype is only growing around Mikel Merino. The Spaniard has come on against both PSG and Southampton and impressed in his cameos and received plenty of praise from manager Mikel Arteta.

Should Partey be out, Arteta could choose to start Declan Rice in the deeper role and use Merino as the other partnering defensive-minded midfielder. That said, Merino is very keen to progress play and move into offensive areas to support attacks and it is a dynamic many expected would be established after his signing at the expense of Partey.

Jorginho

Partey started the weekend’s clash with the Saints at right-back after injuries suffered by Ben White and Jurrien Timber have seen them forced to miss games. Takehiro Tomiyasu has since returned to fitness and both White and Timber are hopeful of returning to the squad after the break too meaning the unorthodox positioning of Partey was unlikely to continue.

Jorginho was the starting midfielder while Partey was in the back four. This therefore means that it is entirely possible while Merino’s minutes continue to be managed that the Italian becomes the starting figure ahead of games against Bournemouth and Liverpool in the league – the former Chelsea man got the man of the match award in the home win over the Reds last season.

Myles Lewis-Skelly

While mainly deployed as a left-back in his cameos so far, youth starlet Myles Lewis-Skelly came through the youth ranks as a midfielder. Known for his vision and passing execution, the youngster has already showcased these traits as he laid in Raheem Sterling to set up fellow youngster Ethan Nwaneri for his first senior goal against Bolton Wanderers.

If Arteta wants to go brave, or perhaps trial in the Champions League home game with Shakhtar Donetsk or League Cup clash with Preston North End, Lewis-Skelly could be a potential option, especially if partnered with the experience of Rice. Injuries and absences open doors for young players in the game and this could be exactly that and more.