Black Stars head coach Chris Hughton says he was forced to leave Thomas Partey out of his squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) due to his injury.

The Arsenal midfielder is still on his way to recovery having been out of action since the October international break.

Partey featured for Ghana in the friendlies against Mexico and the United States of Ghana in that time and hasn't played for club and country since then.

Despite the midfielder looking close to a return to action, Hughton has decided against risking him for the tournament and has allowed him to recover at Arsenal.

"Thomas Partey is one of our most important players. Without his injury, he certainly would be in the squad, we know the quality of player that he is. This is a player that suffered a substantial injury," the Irish trainer said while addressing questions about his 27-man squad,

"I’ve spent a lot of this period of time with Thomas and also engaged the medical staff at Arsenal. They will treat this injury with caution, and so will the player. This is a big injury for him, the biggest injury he’s had.

"The most important thing for me as head coach is to give him the support he needs during this period of time. From all the information we’ve been given, the timelines of his recovery and the caution that will be taken, [his recovery] will not meet our timelines for the AFCON."

The Black Stars are pitched in Group B for the AFCON alongside Egypt, Cape Verde and Mozambique.