Mikel Arteta has delivered an update on the fitness of defender Takehiro Tomiyasu ahead of Arsenal's Premier League clash with Wolves.
The Gunners travel to Molineux Stadium on Thursday evening, their first league match in almost three weeks, when they played out a frustrating 0-0 draw with Burnley.
Summer signing Tomiyasu missed the game against the Clarets, with Arteta confirming that the Japanese international had struggled during the loss to Liverpool earlier that week.
"Tomi had an injury and we didn’t have anybody to play in that position against Liverpool," the Spaniard revealed after the draw with Sean Dyche's side.
"He needs to recover and look after himself, to try and be available as quick as he can.
"He will be out for a few weeks."
Now, Arteta has confirmed that the 23-year-old is back in training with the rest of the first-team squad, although he also admitted that he shouldn't be rushed back if he isn't fully fit.
"He’s there," the former Manchester City assistant coach said when asked if Tomiyasu would be available for Thursday's match.
"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."
Tomiyasu joined the north London outfit back in August of last year, signing from Serie A side Bologna for a reported £16million.
He has since established himself as one of the Gunners' most consistent players, possessing a rare blend of intelligent reading of the game, progressive passing and positional discipline.
In fact, the versatile fullback has registered an impressive eight clean sheets in just 16 league outings this term.
