Thomas Partey pulls out of the Ghanaian national team ahead of the international break

According to reports, Thomas Partey has withdrawn from the Ghanaian national team ahead of their friendlies during the international break.

Thomas Partey, the midfielder of Arsenal, has declined the invitation from Ghana to play in this Friday's friendly match against Nigeria. The 30-year-old footballer, who has not yet made an appearance for the Gunners this year, is still recovering from an injury that he sustained in November last year. Partey had to undergo surgery after suffering a groin injury and was expected to return in early February.

However, he suffered a setback with the same injury and has been struggling to regain full fitness since then. Partey's first appearance for Arsenal this year came in early March, in the 6-0 win against Sheffield United.

This means that he has only played a total of 276 minutes of Premier League football this season. Despite being called up by the Black Stars for their upcoming friendlies against Nigeria and Uganda, Partey has reportedly declined the national team selection as he focuses on getting back to full fitness.

It is however uncertain how much this could be a blowback in the Black Stars of Ghana's preparation for AFCON 2025 and the World Cup 2026 qualifiers under the new head coach.