Thomas Partey: Otto Addo Discloses Reason for Dropping Arsenal Star from Squad

• Black Stars coach Otto Addo has explained the reason behind his decision to drop Thomas Partey from his squad
• The Ghana trainer named a 25-man squad for the final two matches of Group F in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers
• Ghana will face Angola in Luanda next week before hosting Niger in the final game of the qualifiers in Accra

Ghana coach Otto Addo has explained his decision to drop Arsenal star Thomas Partey for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The Black Stars will face Angola and Niger in the final two matches of Group F with hopes of miraculously sneaking into the tournament in Morocco next year.

Partey opted out of the squad in October's double-header against Sudan after he reportedly fell sick.

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In his absence, Ghana drew in Accra and lost to Sudan in Libya, leaving the team on the brink of missing the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 20 years.

According to Addo, he spoke to the player before announcing his squad, stating he left him out of the team to protect him.

“It’s confidential,” said Addo when asked at the presser about the absence of the midfielder.

"I’m a coach who always likes to protect the players, so I hope you understand. For me, the team is like family and I’m not coming out with internal issues," he added.

"He wanted to come but I made it quite clear to him why he’s not coming. Like I said, it’s confidential. It’s difficult for me to mention all the things... It's like that and we have to move on."

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Partey in red-hot form for Arsenal

Despite his struggles with the Black Stars, Partey has been one of Arsenal's best players this season, starring in the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.

Partey's willingness to give his all for the Gunners has seen him play as a right-back in some games and excelling in his makeshift position.

This season, Partey has featured in all ten Premier League matches, scoring a goal in the victory over Aston Villa at Villa Park, per Transfermarkt.

Partey dropped for AFCON qualifiers

Earlier, Yen.com.gh reported that Arsenal star Thomas Partey has been dropped from the Black Stars squad to face Angola and Niger in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in November.

Otto Addo named a 25-man squad for the final two matches in Group F of the AFCON qualifiers, as Ghana holds on to its slim hopes of qualifying for the tournament in Morocco.

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Partey missed last month's double-header against Sudan after failing to travel to Ghana due to illness.

Source: YEN.com.gh