He is the glue that keeps Arsenal’s defence and attack together – Gary Neville hails Thomas Partey

Manchester United legend Gary Neville has identified Thomas Partey as the most important player in the current Arsenal team.

Neville believes that the impact the Ghanaian player has on the Arsenal team is significant and that the team will struggle to stay in shape should he pick up an injury.

The former England international says he arrived at this conclusion after watching Arsenal’s last three Premier League matches.

In conversation with co-pundit Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports, Gary Neville says he used to think Gabriel Jesus was Arsenal’s most important player but he has had to rethink his position following the massive impact Eddie Nketiah has made since stepping in for Jesus in December.

He noted that the 29-year-old Ghanaian midfielder serves as the glue that connects Arsenal’s defence and attack.

"We had a discussion about which player would you take out from the Arsenal team and will do them damage and I probably would have said Gabriel Jesus but Nketiah has been unbelievable. If I look at them, I would say Partey. Having watched their three games since Christmas I would say if he was out, Arsenal would struggle. In these three games that I’ve watched, I feel he is holding them together. He is the glue between the defence and attack,” he said.

In those three matches that Gary Neville watched, Arsenal drew with Newcastle and won 2-0 and 3-2 against Tottenham and Manchester United respectively.

Bar the United game, where Partey by his lofty standards was average, the Ghanaian midfielder was instrumental in the draw and particularly victory at the Tottenham Stadium.

His stats at the end of the game on Sunday, January 15, 2022, read; 87 touches, 66/72 passes completed, 14 passes into the final third, 8 ball recoveries , 4/5 long passes completed, 4/5 ground duels won, 2 blocks, 2 tackles won, 1 shot off the woodwork.

Arsenal legend Tony Adams also believes that Partey is the best player in the Premier League and that the Ghanaian is a combination of Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit.