Takehiro Tomiyasu back in training is a sight that will have delighted many Arsenal fans and Mikel Arteta.
A calf problem has limited the Japan international to just two appearances for the Gunners so far in 2022 as he missed the goalless draw at home to Burnley towards the end of January as well as the 1-0 win over Wolves last time out.
Furthermore, Tomiyasu didn't travel with the rest of the Arsenal squad to Dubai for a warm-weather training camp last month, instead staying in England to work on his fitness.
And in a boost for the north London outfit, Arteta confirmed that Tomiyasu returned to training ahead of the game against Wolves but the Spaniard was remaining cautious about the defender's involvement.
"He's there," Arteta said in his pre-match press conference. "He had a recurring injury in the same place, so we had to be careful with him, but he’s been training hard.
"Let's see if he's available for Thursday."
As things turned out, no risks were taken with the 23-year-old at Wolves as Cedric Soares filled in admirably at right-back, although his run in the team might be short-lived.
According to Premier Injuries, Tomiyasu's return date is February 19, 2022. That is this Saturday when Arsenal welcome Brentford to the Emirates Stadium in an important game with regards to the top-four race.
In addition, they claim the defender has a 50 per cent chance of being included in the matchday squad.
Tomiyasu's chances of making his comeback against The Bees will ultimately depend on him avoiding any setbacks following his return to training this week.
An almost four-minute clip of the defender being put through his paces at London Colney has been uploaded to YouTube and he looked rather sharp whilst doing some running and passing drills.
With that said, the fact Tomiyasu was training on his own with Arsenal's first-team strength and conditioning coach Sam Wilson could be a sign that he's not quite ready to join the rest of his teammates in a full session.
But with the Gunners not in action until the weekend, Tomiyasu has the rest of the week to prove his fitness and be in contention for the matchday squad at the very least when Brentford come to town.
If this is the case, Arteta will have a near full-strength squad to choose from.
Gabriel Martinelli is the only first-team player definitely unavailable for selection as he serves a one-match suspension, whilst Bernd Leno could return after missing out against Wolves due to a positive Covid-19 test.
