Zinchenko, Partey 'eyeing Arsenal returns against Sheffield United'
Neither man was present with the matchday squad for Saturday night's 4-1 thrashing of Newcastle United, which kept Mikel Arteta's men two points behind Liverpool in third place in the table.
Zinchenko has now missed the Gunners' last four matches in all tournaments with yet another calf injury, which forced him off at half time in the 3-1 success over Liverpool on February 4.
Arteta has remained secretive about the Ukrainian's condition, but he has already spent time on the sidelines with similar problems since joining from Manchester City in 2022, meaning that his recent absences have not come as too much of a surprise.
Meanwhile, Partey — who has spent four months in the medical bay with a thigh injury — returned to team training before last week's 1-0 loss to Porto in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, but he did not board the plane to Portugal.
The Ghana international was not involved in the drubbing of Newcastle either, although Arteta told reporters at his pre-game press conference that he was «very close» to making a comeback.
Now, the Evening Standard reports that both Zinchenko and Partey are bidding to prove their fitness to Arteta before the trip to Sheffield United on March 4, and the pair are set to increase their workloads in the coming days.
The report adds that both men were not too far away from making the squad against Newcastle, although Arsenal staff will not make a final decision on their involvement at Bramall Lane until the end of the week.
After both starring during the Gunners' title near-miss
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