95% accurate passes, 3/3 long balls,He won our hearts Mikel Arteta praises Arsenal star as a ‘fantastic player’ today – NOT NKETIAH
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has praised Takehiro Tomiyasu following the convincing 5-0 win over Sheffield United in the Premier League this afternoon.
The Japan international was hugely impressive in the midweek Champions League win at Sevilla. He was solid from the left-back role and made several recoveries.
Oleksandr Zinchenko got the nod over him against the Blades but Tomiyasu still made an impact off the bench, scoring his maiden goal in the Gunners shirt.
Speaking after the game, Arteta said that the 25-year-old is one of the most popular in the dressing room and added that he is a fantastic player for the team.
He told Arsenal.com: “I love him. Everybody loves him. He’s one of the most popular in the dressing room. You can see the reaction of his team-mates towards him.”
“They wanted him there at the front, enjoying it. He’s always very reserved and always doing things for the rest of the boys. He’s a fantastic player for the team.”
Tomiyasu replaced Ben White at right-back shortly after the hour mark. He completed 21 out of his 22 passes (95 per cent accuracy) and each of his long balls (3/3).
The Japanese star also made two interception and one clearance alongside his stoppage time goal.
The versatile defender will be hoping to reclaim a starting spot when the Gunners face West Ham United on the road in the Carabao Cup fourth round on Wednesday.
Arteta decided to ring in the changes today with the likes of Gabriel Magalhaes, Martin Odegaard and Jorginho remaining on the bench for the entire 90 minutes.
This suggests that the manager could pick a strong starting XI against the Hammers in midweek.
