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Medical expert issues verdict on 'sinister' Arsenal situation after Tomiyasu news today
Takehiro Tomiyasu may have been carrying a calf issue since early December at Arsenal.
That is the view of injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in medicine and data analysis.
Tomiyasu, 23, was unavailable for Arsenal’s 1-0 FA Cup defeat to Nottingham Forest because of the problem in his right leg.
Goal‘s Arsenal correspondent Charles Watts reports that the right-back will not play in tonight’s (13 January) League Cup semi-final against Liverpool.
Emile Smith Rowe, Granit Xhaka, Martin Odegaard and Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang are also sidelined through illness or injury.
As quoted by The Guardian yesterday (12 January), Mikel Arteta said his player availability situation is “extremely volatile and uncertain.”
But Dinnery forecasts that Tomiyasu could be back in action “sooner rather than later”.
“He’s carried a slight niggle from early December leading up to Christmas,” he told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.
“For Tomiyasu, you’ve got Cedric Soares who can fill in. He’s been in and around the fringes of that starting XI.
“The cup game gave Arteta a chance to rest the likes of Tomiyasu, who’s been carrying that calf issue.
“The result wasn’t good against Forest. You would still expect them to go out and have a go and put in a better performance.
“The last thing they need is to lose more players for the semi against Liverpool
“But I don’t think Tomiyasu’s is anything too sinister. Hopefully, we’ll see him back sooner rather than later.”
Tomiyasu signed from Bologna last summer (2021) in a £19.8million deal.
The Japanese international has earned rave reviews across his 17 appearances this term.
In other news, Kevin Campbell tells Arsenal players to “have a good look at themselves” after embarrassing reveal.