Takehiro Tomiyasu came off early against Wolves on Saturday. (Picture: Getty)
Mikel Arteta confirmed that Takehiro Tomiyasu remains a doubt for Arsenal’s trip to Luton Town on Tuesday after sustaining a calf injury in their 2-1 weekend win over Wolves.
Tomiyasu hobbled off in the 79th minute with what appeared to be a calf problem and was replaced by Ben White having earlier provided an assist for Bukayo Saka.
The Japan international full-back has impressed this season and has started Arsenal’s last four matches in the Premier League.
The Gunners face a short turnaround as the hectic festive schedule begins and Arteta confirmed that a late call will have to be made on the full-back’s fitness ahead of the Luton game.
‘We assessed him after the game, we took him off as a precaution so we’ll wait. Whether it’s useful to use him or not, we will decide tomorrow,’ the Spaniard confirmed in the pre-match press conference.
‘He’s a strong boy and hopefully he’ll be fine.’
Should the 25-year-old be unavailable for Tuesday’s game, it may provide an opportunity for Ben White to return to the starting XI.
Ben White could be in line for a return to Arsenal’s starting XI (Picture: Getty)
The Englishman has been working his way back to full fitness having picked up an injury of his own but has come off the bench in each of Arsenal’s last three games.
Asked if White could step in and replace Tomiyasu, Arteta said: ‘Yeah, after the injury and the way we decided to manage his load, he’s feeling perfect, back to fitness.
‘He’s played some minutes so he’s in a good place.’
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Arteta’s side could temporarily move five points clear at the top of the table should they extend their five-match winning run at Kenilworth Road
Luton, meanwhile, will go in search of just their third league win of the season to put further ground between them and the bottom three.
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