Takehiro Tomiyasu is set to be out for at least a few weeks with a calf injury, and he may not play again for Arsenal before the AFC Asian Cup in January.
After Arsenal’s match against Luton Town on Tuesday night, Mikel Arteta confirmed the bad news that Takehiro Tomiyasu had an injury in his calf.
Tomiyasu had already been ruled out of the game against Luton, but Arteta confirmed that a scan revealed an injury that would keep him out “for a while”.
Sami Mokbel reports for the Daily Mail that the best-case scenario is an absence of three-to-four weeks.
Mokbel points out that if it’s any longer than that, Tomiyasu wouldn’t play another club fixture before his departure for the AFC Asian Cup in January.
But the reporter adds that he’s been told Tomiyasu may be able to play one game in early January before international duty, depending on how his recovery goes.
Kaya Kaynak reports something similar for Football.London, writing that Tomiyasu faces four-to-six weeks out, but there is some hope that the defender could be back sooner if his rehab progresses positively.
If Tomiyasu does return to fitness at the start of January, there’s only one game he could realistically play any part in, the FA Cup fixture against Liverpool.
That game is slated for January 5th-8th, before Arsenal go on their winter break.
The only other games in January are against Crystal Palace on January 20th and Nottingham Forest on January 30th, though Arsenal may also have a third-round replay and the FA Cup fourth round, depending on the Liverpool result.
For the time being, with the transfer window not set to open for almost four weeks, Arsenal will have to rely on Ben White, Cedric Soares, and perhaps youth right-back Reuell Walters, who was in the squad on Tuesday.
At least Mikel Arteta doesn’t have to worry about next week’s Champions League clash against PSV, with Arsenal already having qualified for the last-16 in top spot in the group.
It’s the five Premier League matches remaining this month that will give him more sleepless nights.