Mikel Arteta gives update on Takehiro Tomiyasu after Europa League win over Zurich
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‘He had to come off… we don’t want to take any chances’: Mikel Arteta gives an update on Takehiro Tomiyasu after the Europa League win over Zurich, as the Gunners boss confirms the defender suffered a ‘muscle injury’ after performing as replacement
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has provided an update on defender Takehiro Tomiyasu after he had to be replaced by an injury in the club’s win over FC Zurich in the Europa League.
The Japan international had only come on to replace Ben White in the second half, but his time on the pitch was short-lived as he appeared to be injured.
Arsenal were set to win the game against the Swiss side despite Tomiyasu’s injury, thanks to a brilliant attack from left-back Kieran Tierney, which propelled them to Group A top spot.
Takehiro Tomiyasu suffered a muscle injury in Arsenal’s Europa League win over Zurich
Mikel Arteta has said they will know the full extent of the injury in the next 48 hours
Arteta confirmed Tomiyasu was being replaced after he ‘felt something’ and later told BT Sport:’
‘We do not know. He had a muscle problem and had to come down because we don’t want to take any chances.
“But we’ll assess him for the next 48 hours and decide what’s best for us now.”
Tomiyasu hoped to play for his Japan national team at the World Cup in Qatar this month
Tests will show the extent of the injury of the Japanese international who has already been called up for the World Cup in Qatar.
As for Arsenal’s near future, it remains to be seen whether he can play in their crucial Premier League game against Chelsea on Sunday.
The positive for Arteta, however, is that if Tomiyasu can’t play, he can rely on Tierney, who showed he is still perfectly capable of being a reliable member of the Arsenal squad with his man of the match- performance against Zurich.
Kieran Tierney proved to be the match winner for Arsenal with a stunning strike against Zurich
Arteta praised the Scotsman after the match, saying: ‘He was really good.
“Kieran has shown real maturity and he has respect for certain decisions and he has not played many minutes.
“He played really well today and scored a great goal that helped us win the game, and that’s what we demand from all players to be ready when we need them to make a difference.”
