Takehiro Tomiyasu this week returned to his former club in Japan, Avispa Fukuoka, to help coach the club's youth teams.
The Japanese International coached the U15s and U16s for three days, using his experience in Europe to better his old club's youngsters.
Tomiyasu joined Avispa Fukuoka when he was just 11, eventually making his debut for the first team in 2015.
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By 2017 the defender was a regular for the side, making 35 appearances in the J2 League despite being just 18.
Tomiyasu would go on to make a total of 56 appearances for Avispa Fukuoka, before leaving for the Belgian league in 2018.
Undoubtedly, the 23-year-old owes a lot of the success he has enjoyed in his career since to the faith showed in him by his boy-hood club and Tomiyasu clearly appreciates this.
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During his three days of coaching, Tomiyasu chose to implement a new menu for the players, based on his own diet with Arsenal and the Japanese national team.
He explained:
"I thought I could convey modern football by teaching them exactly what I am learning now."
The defender went on to describe his compassion for his former club, describing Avispa Fukuoka as:
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"The club I can call my starting point."
Tomiyasu signed for Arsenal in the 2021 Summer window and started excellently.
He won Arsenal player of the month in September and starred especially in a North London derby win.
His strong tackling, impressive defensive awareness and seeming invincibility in aerial duels made him an instant fan's favourite.
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Unfortunately however, his second half of the season was littered with injuries.
Problems with his calves kept him out almost constantly to the frustration and sadness of Arsenal, who missed him massively.
However the defender is determined to keep his head up and enjoy next season, declaring:
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"Next season I want to make sure I can play the whole year without injury."
Arsenal will be hoping so too, as they look to push for a way back into the Champions League.
One thing is for sure, Tomiyasu is not lacking in humility and his most recent trip to Japan has only served to boost his stature among the Arsenal fan-base.
Topics: Arsenal, Japan, Mikel Arteta
