Arsenal injury update: Partey fit, Xhaka and Kolasinac out

Good news from the Arsenal training room: Thomas Partey is fit and available for selection against Liverpool. The Ghanaian midfielder did not go out on international duty during the break, opting to stay in London to rehab from a groin problem, presumably picked up in training, that forced him to miss the match against Watford. His availability is a big boost for the Gunners, who are a bit thin at the base of the midfield.

Arsenal are thin there in part because Granit Xhaka is still out long-term with the knee ligament injury that he suffered against Tottenham. But there is good news on that front, too. Ever the hardworker, Xhaka has already started running as part of his rehab. There is little insight into whether that changes the expected three-month timeline on his recovery, but it can’t be a bad thing, right? My guess is that Xhaka is back in action towards the end of December.

Unfortunately, the Gunners did not escape the international break unscathed. Sead Kolasinac suffered a serious ankle injury when he was on the receiving end of a straight red tackle from Jukka Raitala of Finland. There is no indication of how long Kolasinac will be out for the Gunners, but it shouldn’t make that much of a difference from a squad selection perspective. The Bosnian left back is out of contract at the end of this season and was certain to leave the club anyway. He might have moved in the January window, but the injury probably makes that less likely.

Kieran Tierney, who had been dealing with an injury, is not on the injury report. He played for Scotland over the international break and will be available for selection.