Arteta did not push me – Partey explains NLD incident

Thomas Partey thinks people misunderstood the incident between himself and manager Mikel Arteta during Arsenal’s North London derby clash with Tottenham at White Hart Lane last season.

The Ghana midfielder was struggling with a knock when he walked onto the sideline as play was progressing.

Arteta appeared to try and push Partey back onto the field, despite the 28-year-old visibly struggling to run or even jog in the build-up to Tottenham’s second goal.

Asked about the incident, Partey told TV3: “Well I think people misunderstood that situation.

“I remember when I first took the ball from one of the Spurs players and then I felt my calf, and then I was walking straight to the bench. And then I didn’t know what happened, I saw them attacking us.

“Arteta did not push me. I tried to run back to try and save the situation but I could not because it was very painful. And then the media took it and everything went viral.”