Before Saturday's North London Derby against Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium, former Arsenal striker Alan Smith explained the significance of Thomas Partey.

Partey had a thigh injury earlier this year and missed a couple of Arsenal games before making his comeback in the 3-0 victory over Brentford right before the break.

The 29-year-old was scheduled to start for Ghana against Brazil in a pre-World Cup friendly, but he was forced to leave the starting lineup just before kickoff last Friday.

He was taken out of the picture for safety's sake.

"Partey is a big concern. He is so important to that Arsenal team and to that midfield," Smith said as quoted by Football London.

"We saw without him against Manchester United there were big holes in that midfield that allowed [Bruno] Fernandes to put those balls through. I don’t think that would have happened with Partey in the team and you don’t want to be reliant on one player quite to this extent, he is so important."

He added, "[Mohamed] Elneny is out for a period of time so they are short in midfield.

"They need Partey in there and that could tip the balance. With him, they are so much more of a solid side able to support that talented attack."

Partey has made four league appearances for Arsenal so far this campaign.