Mikel Arteta provides injury update on Tomiyasu

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has provided a positive injury update on defender Takehiro Tomiyasu ahead of today’s Carabao Cup third round tie against Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Japan international picked up a hamstring injury after coming on as a substitute against Zurich last week. He was subsequently ruled out of the 1-0 Premier League win at Chelsea.

Fortunately, the setback was not a serious one for the 24-year-old. Speaking to reporters yesterday, Arteta said that the defender will be back in a ‘week or so’ and could make the World Cup.

He said via Standard Sport: “It’s a small injury for Tomi, he did well to stop during the match, so it’s not going to be a big issue. I think he will be back in a week or so, so hopefully he will be fine to start at the World Cup.”

Tomiyasu set to miss Brighton and Wolves games

Based on Arteta’s update, it is quite clear that Tomiyasu won’t be available to face Brighton & Hove Albion tonight or Wolverhampton Wanderers on the road on Saturday.

Tomiyasu has been a key figure for the Gunners from left-back over the past month, but the club now have sufficient depth within the squad to deal with untimely injuries.

Oleksandr Zinchenko made his long-awaited return from a calf problem at Chelsea and there is also Kieran Tierney, who has also excelled operating from the left-back role.

Hence, there is no reason for the Gunners to rush Tomiyasu back to action. Hopefully, he makes a swift recovery from his minor setback before reporting for World Cup duty.

Arsenal have a tricky challenge against Brighton tonight, given their struggles against them in the past. They have beaten the Seagulls on just three occasions in the last 10 meetings.

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