Arsenal star Tomiyasu withdrawn from Japan squad after Partey scare

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Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu has withdrawn from the Japan squad, the country’s football association has announced. The news comes after an injury scare for Gunners midfielder Thomas Partey while on international duty with Ghana.

Tomiyasu has struggled with injuries of his own throughout 2022 and will not play in Japan’s friendly against Ecuador on Tuesday. However, there is no indication yet that the 23-year-old has suffered another fitness problem.

The Japanese FA instead claims 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.”

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Tomiyasu is yet to start a Premier League match for Arsenal this season. He missed pre-season and the start of the campaign as he continued to work his way back to full fitness following a series of calf problems.

Ben White has instead been preferred at right-back by Mikel Arteta in recent weeks. However, with the north London derby against Tottenham next Saturday, Arteta wants as many first-team players available as possible.

He will be hoping Partey is available after he had a scare of his own on Friday. The midfielder was named in Ghana’s starting XI for the friendly against Brazil in Le Havre.

However, he felt pain in his knee in the pre-match warm-up and was replaced in the line-up. Goal claim it is unlikely Partey will play against Nicaragua on Tuesday but that he should be fine for the visit of Spurs.

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Like Tomiyasu, Partey has been hampered by injury problems during his time at Arsenal. He has already missed four matches this season due to a thigh issue.

The 29-year-old is a key member of Arteta’s squad and provides balance to the midfield as he can play in a holding role. Mohamed Elneny is the only other natural defensive midfielder at the club but is out until early 2023 with a hamstring problem.

Arsenal are currently top of the Premier League table, having won six of their seven matches so far this season. Spurs will provide a strong test, arriving at the Emirates as one of the two remaining unbeaten teams so far this season.

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