Arteta advised moving Partey back to midfield.
Gary Neville, a former Manchester United player, has asked Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, to use Thomas Partey in his preferred midfield position after testing him out at right-back in the previous three games.
Partey, a key member of the Gunners’ team throughout the previous season, unexpectedly fell down the pecking order in the latter stages of the campaign, losing his spot to Jorginho, who had come over from Chelsea in January.
Rumors that the 30-year-old Ghanaian would quit because he was worried about getting less playing time were strengthened by Declan Rice, who joined from West Ham for a club-record fee.
However, Arterta has been playing Partey at right-back so far while acknowledging the player’s significance to the team, an action that has incensed many.
Neville, the most recent person to express their discontent, thinks Partey strengthens the team when paired with Declan Rice in midfield.
“I would say that Arsenal has this aspect of experimenting in my opinion. In a game, Thomas Partey is a half-and-half player. You sometimes need to get back to the beginning.
“I predict Mikel Arteta will abandon that experiment and start using a reliable back four against Manchester United the following week. Neville advised moving Partey into midfield alongside Declan Rice and Martin De Gaard on Sky Sports.
Thomas Partey and Declan Rice, a midfield pairing, won praise for defeating Manchester City in the Community Shield, but it’s unclear if Partey will resume playing in that position.
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