Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta returned to press conferences and faced numerous questions from the media, with a significant focus on team news and transfers.
One of the topics was the absence of Takehiro Tomiyasu from the 26-man squad for the preseason tour of the United States due to a knee injury.
Arteta described the situation as "unbelievable" and the Spanish manager shared that the injury occurred during training last week.
The full extent of Tomiyasu's condition is still unknown, however, as a precaution, Tomiyasu remained in England and will undergo assessment in the coming days to determine the severity of the setback.
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Arteta said: "It is unbelievable because the kid works so hard. He had an incident in training this week, and we don’t know yet the extent of that knee injury, but as a precaution, we kept him in England. We’ll see what happens."
🔴⚪️⚠️ Arsenal confirm that Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee problem) will remain in London to receive treatment and he will not travel to pre-season tour.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 21, 2024
Same for Tierney due to hamstring injury. pic.twitter.com/i7AnurujMO
Tomiyasu, who is valued at $38 million, joined Arsenal from Bologna in the summer of 2021 and since his arrival, has been an outstanding performer as the full-back.
When fit, he can be consistently relied on, but that has been the problem as the 25-year-old has struggled with injury concerns.
Last season, he was frequently in and out of the starting XI due to recurring injuries and now faces another unfortunate setback.
As a result of this latest injury, Tomiyasu’s preparation for the new campaign will be delayed. He will likely be behind his teammates in terms of match sharpness and may need to be gradually reintegrated into the squad by Arteta.
Of course, the hope is that Tomiyasu's injury is minor, allowing him to return in time for the Premier League opener against Wolverhampton Wanderers at home on August 17.
