“We really need him” – 25-year-old Arsenal star suffers injury setback admits Mikel Arteta | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta confirmed during his press conference on Friday that Arsenal will be without Takehiro Tomiyasu for some time as the defender has suffered an injury setback having just returned to action.

The Japanese star injured his knee during pre-season and it forced him to miss the majority of the opening part of the 2024/25 campaign before returning to action for Arsenal against Southampton ahead of the international break.

The 25-year-old played just six minutes against the Saints but it was an important milestone on his road to recovery.

Having just made this positive step, Mikel Arteta told the media during his press conference on Friday that Tomiyasu will be out for some time after suffering another setback.

“We don’t know that (how long he will be out for),” said the Gunners boss via The Standard.  “It doesn’t look like, hopefully, a long period but we have to see when he comes back how he reacts to the load and to the impact on the pitch as well.

“But we really need him, he has been incredible, his work rate, the amount of hours he has put in to get back.

“He did it and he was in great shape – and now he has got something else again. But, we are all behind him. He needs our support and hopefully, he will be fine.”

Arsenal’s Takehiro Tomiyasu has suffered an injury setback (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Takehiro Tomiyasu has a key role to play at Arsenal

This a blow for Arsenal having just got Tomiyasu back and the Japanese star’s role in Arteta’s squad cannot be underestimated.

The Gunners pride themselves on their excellent defence and although the 25-year-old is not a starter, he can play in every position across a back four, which is a very useful option for Arteta to have throughout a long season.

Tomiyasu featured 30 times for Arsenal last season in various roles and fans of the North London club will hope to see him back soon.