Mikel Arteta has given positive fitness updates on Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White ahead of Arsenal’s game against Luton Town on Tuesday night.

Arsenal have a few long-term injury absentees at the moment, with Jurrien Timber out for the season, Fabio Vieira not expected back until January, and Emile Smith Rowe and Thomas Partey still out for no with no definite return dates set.

None of the four will be back against Luton Town on Tuesday night, but there was better news for other members of the squad in Mikel Arteta’s pre-match press conference.

Takehiro Tomiyasu was taken off early against Wolves over the weekend, but Arteta has suggested the defender could even make an immediate return against Luton Town on Tuesday.

“We assessed him after the game, we took him off as a precaution so we’ll wait,” Arteta said. “Whether it’s useful to use him or not, we will decide [on Tuesday].

“He’s a strong boy and hopefully he’ll be fine.”

Ben White is another player who has been affected by injuries recently, and he’s been used less often in the last few games despite his return to the squad.

Arteta confirmed this was a deliberate plan to manage the defender’s minutes following the injury setback, but it seems to have worked out well.

“After his injury and the way we decided to manage his load, he’s feeling perfect and back to fitness,” Arteta explained.

“He played some minutes and he’s now in a good place.”

Having both right-backs available is always a boost for the squad, with each player repeatedly proving they’re capable of taking up the starting spot whenever called upon.

There’s strong competition for that first-choice spot between the two players, which is helpful when Arteta needs to manage their minutes like he’s had to in recent weeks.

The hope is that they’ll both push past their recent injury concerns and focus fully on outperforming each other for the benefit of the team.