Not much has gone right for Arsenal's Takehiro Tomiyasu in 2022. But things are certainly beginning to look up for the defender after receiving a massive boost during the international break.
The right-back, who has impressed since joining from Bologna on transfer deadline day last summer, had been a key player for the Gunners during the first half of the season. After making his debut against Norwich City in September, he went on to start the next 14 Premier League games in a row to establish himself as one of Mikel Arteta's undroppables.
However, two separate calf issues have limited Tomiyasu to just two appearances across all competitions since the turn of the year, whilst he suffered a setback after returning to the matchday squad for Arsenal's 2-1 win over Brentford last month. Having rushed the defender back once this season, Arteta has, understandably, taken a more cautious approach in recent weeks as he opted to stick with Cedric Soares at right-back against Liverpool and Aston Villa despite Tomiyasu's return to training.
