Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu has been withdrawn from Japan's squad ahead of the friendly against Ecuador.
Tomiyasu is yet to start a Premier League match for Arsenal this season with Ben White having been the number one choice for Mikel Arteta at right-back. The Japanese defender missed the Gunners' pre-season tour of America as he continued to recover from a series of calf problems.
William Saliba's return and impressive form to start the season has eased the pressure on Tomiyasu to return quickly, allowing him to recover his fitness and ensure he does not suffer further setbacks. The decision to withdraw the 23-year-old from the Japan squad has now struck fear amongst supporters that Tomiyasu has picked up another injury ahead of an important run of fixtures in October.
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The Gunners have been hampered with injuries throughout September but now look to be able to call upon Oleksandr Zinchenko and Martin Odegaard for the north London derby after the pair returned to training during the international break, football.london understands. Tomiyasu has struggled with injuries of his own throughout 2022 and will not play in Japan's friendly against Ecuador on Tuesday.
There is no indication yet from the Japanese FA that the 23-year-old has suffered another fitness problem and instead the decision has been made "due to club circumstances", hinting Arsenal had an agreement over the player's participation for this international break. Tomiyasu played the entirety of his country's 2-0 friendly win over the USA on Friday but will now head back to north London.
The full statement reads: "We would like to inform you that defender TOMIYASU Takehiro (Arsenal) will be withdrawing from the SAMURAI BLUE ahead of the KIRIN CHALLENGE CUP 2022 Ecuador National Team match on September 27th due to club circumstances."
Mikel Arteta will be hoping his players return unscathed from international duty with Thomas Partey the latest concern for the Gunners after he was left out of Ghana's 3-0 defeat to Brazil. However, Partey's absence is said to have been a 'precautionary measure' and is unlikely to feature in Ghana's next game against Nicaragua on Tuesday.
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