Mikel Arteta confirms Trossard is fit for Man Utd clash, speaks on Partey’s importance

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Leandro Trossard is fit ahead of tonight’s pre-season friendly against Manchester United in New Jersey.

Trossard had a brilliant game against the MLS All Stars last week. He scored the club’s second goal in the 5-0 rout with a sublime curling effort from outside the box.

The Belgian was substituted before the hour mark after picking up a knock, but Arteta has now confirmed that he is fine and will be available. He has already trained.

He told Arsenal.com: “He is fine, he trained this morning and he will be available for tomorrow [today].”

Meanwhile, there has been a lot of speculation over the future of midfielder Thomas Partey lately.

With interest from Saudi Arabia and Juventus, the Ghanaian has been linked with a summer exit.

When asked whether the 30-year-old is still in his plans, Arteta clarified that he is a ‘super important player’ and the club definitely want him to be in the squad.

He added: “Thomas Partey is a super important player for us and for me and we want him to be in the team, that’s for sure.”

Arsenal started off pre-season with back-to-back draws against Watford and Nurnberg respectively, but looked at their best in the 5-0 victory over the MLS All Stars.

They now face familiar rivals in United at the MetLife Stadium, and Arteta will be eyeing a second successive win to build momentum ahead of the new season.

After the Red Devils clash, Arsenal have two more friendlies against Barcelona and Monaco before the Community Shield meeting against Manchester City on August 6.

In his press conference, Arteta did not rule out the prospect of playing Partey and Rice together and it will be interesting to see whether that happens in the coming games.

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