Takehiro Tomiyasu lasted just 15 minutes against FC Zurich on Thursday evening, so what’s the news on the defender’s latest problem?
Takehiro Tomiyasu has had no luck with injury problems since he signed for Arsenal last summer.
Arriving from Bologna, the 23-year-old has struggled with calf injuries but it seemed to be his hamstring that was causing the problem on Thursday night.
As he left the pitch, you could see the frustration Tomiyasu was feeling, not least because he was named in the Japan squad for the World Cup, which starts in a little over a month.
Speaking after the game, Arteta was asked how Tomiyasu is.
“We don’t know,” Arteta replied when asked how Tomiyasu’s injury is.
“He felt something and we didn’t want to take any risks. With the amount of games that we’re playing, it’s part of it.
“It can happen in training, it can happen in games and unfortunately it happened to Tomi today.
“The rest of the players have to be ready because we’re going to need everybody now.”
Arteta was pushed further on what the injury is, to which he replied again that he didn’t know.
When a reporter then asked for an initial assessment, given the approaching World Cup, Arteta replied, “We have Chelsea on Sunday. This is what I’m interested in.”
As a side note, it has been somewhat frustrating to watch reporters suddenly care more about certain players because a World Cup is approaching.
Reporters who don’t even notice how much Bukayo Saka is kicked the rest of the time, for instance, are now interested in his welfare which, understandably, must be very frustrating for Arteta.