£16m player returning to Arsenal without injury, national media say he played well yesterday

Add as preferred source on Google

Japan’s media have now declared their relief that Takehiro Tomiyasu will be returning to Arsenal fit and well after the international break.

Japan beat Syria 5-0 on Tuesday and Arsenal’s Tomiyasu played 76 minutes in the game.

And when rating his performance, Japanese outlet Football Channel stated their joy that the defender had avoided issue when returning to Arsenal.

Tomiyasu has struggled with injury over the last 12 months or so, and his recent return has been very timely.

The report said: “He showed a stable performance from beginning to end, showing his physical strength at various points and contributing to his clean sheet.

“His biggest accomplishment was being able to finish the national team weekend without getting injured.

“For Arsenal, who are in a fierce battle for the top spot, the safe return of the player who covers all areas of the defensive line is great news.”

And a lot of Arsenal fans will agree with that sentiment.

£16m Tomiyasu has given Mikel Arteta a lot of flexibility in his defence of late, performing in three of the four positions at the back.

And given Jurrien Timber’s lengthy injury, that has been sorely needed.

Takehiro Tomiyasu returns to Arsenal in good shape after two Japan wins

Mikel Arteta does now have a much stronger complement of players to choose from after the international break.

Gabriel Jesus returned for Brazil last night, a performance that was critiqued by his new manager.

And Martin Odegaard was seen back in Arsenal training alongside a new face from the academy.

Things are now looking brighter, and Arteta will have something of a selection headache.

And for a tough away trip to Brentford, it’ll be interesting to see if Arteta does choose Japan’s Tomiyasu as Arsenal’s left back.

Oleksandr Zinchenko is perhaps favourite for the role, but does lack some defensive attributes at times.

It’s a ‘positive problem’ for Arteta, one he hasn’t had too often of late.

And Arsenal will need their extended squad for a very busy period to come, the side now have six games in the space of 18 days.