Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has not ruled out the possibility of Thomas Partey and Kieran Tierney playing against Manchester City on Saturday.
Partey could make his Arsenal debut after completing a £45m move from Atletico Madrid on Deadline Day.
The new signing arrived at the Gunners’ training ground for the first time on Tuesday after international duty with Ghana and could make his debut against Manchester City.
Arteta says a decision will be made on Partey’s fitness after he comes through training sessions on Thursday and Friday.
“Today he will have his first training session. He will need to go quickly. He wants to play. We will see [on Saturday]. You see players adapting really quickly and others taking a long time,” Arteta said on Thursday morning.
“I’ve seen the buzz around the place. The fans are really happy, I’ve seen some really positive reactions. The same with the team and staff. We have rated him for a long time.”
Tierney was ordered to self-isolate for 14 days from Tuesday after Scotland team-mate Stuart Armstrong, who was deemed a close contact, tested positive for coronavirus.
However, Arsenal have not ruled the left-back out of Saturday’s game and hope to learn if they can earn special dispensation regarding the defender’s availability to play.
“This is getting very complicated when we send players abroad and lose control. Some authorities have different regulations to the ones in the Premier League,” Arteta added.
“We are still having some discussions and hopefully we will have more news this afternoon.”
