Mikel Arteta confirms new Arsenal injury worry over £20m star

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Takehiro Tomiyasu suffered an injury on Wednesday evening. 

One of the few negatives from Arsenal’s 2-0 win against Sevilla on Wednesday evening was that Takehiro Tomiyasu was forced off at half-time.

The Japanese international started the match at left-back, where he has impressed in recent weeks. Ian Wright has previously admitted that he loves seeing Tomiyasu in the starting XI, and the defender has really earned a run in the side.

Therefore, it would be absolutely gutting if the £19.8 million former Bologna man were now to have to face another spell on the sidelines. After all, he has had a number of injuries already in his time at the Emirates Stadium, which have halted his progress. 

Hopefully, Mikel Arteta only took Tomiyasu off at half-time as a measure of caution, and that the damage is not serious. Given Tomiyasu’s increased importance to the club in recent weeks, the Spanish coach will naturally be keen to protect him.

Arteta gave an update on Tomiyasu’s condition after the match. As quoted by the club’s official website, he said, “he had some discomfort in the first half and we didn’t want to take any risks. He’s played a lot of minutes and obviously having Alex [Zinchenko] on the bench ready to come in, I think it was the right decision.”

Takehiro Tomiyasu form could force Oleksandr Zinchenko into new role

Oleksandr Zinchenko has generally been the first choice Arsenal left-back, when fit, since his arrival at the north London club. However, the Ukrainian’s defensive capabilities have been questioned. 

What the former Manchester City ace offers on the ball is not in doubt. He is able to tuck into the midfield zone, becoming an auxiliary playmaker of sorts, and lending extra creativity to the Gunners’ build up play. 

Given his technical competence and the form of Tomiyasu, it has been suggested that Zinchenko ought to be used as a more traditional midfielder, with the Japan international on full-back duties. If the 25-year-old is now injured, though, then Zinchenko will be needed at left-back once more.