Arsenal star's unexpected U-turn hands Arteta major boost ahead of Lyon friendly

Arsenal have been handed a huge boost after Takehiro Tomiyasu decided to immediately return to the club after Japan's World Cup elimination.

After Japan were eliminated in the round of 16 by Croatia, Tomiyasu hinted that he may need a break from football.

When asked when he would return to Arsenal, Tomiyasu said: "I don't know.

"Hopefully I can get a bit of rest. I need time to forget about football. I need a bit of time."

However, it now appears that Tomiyasu will not take a period of rest, with the defender instead deciding to rejoin the Arsenal squad immediately.

According to Sports Nippon, Tomiyasu boarded a flight from Doha to Dubai on Wednesday. Arsenal are currently in a warm-weather training camp in the United Arab Emirates, and will play Lyon on Thursday afternoon.

Other Arsenal players return

Whilst Tomiyasu is not expected to participate in that game, he could watch the match from the stands.

Tomiyasu is not the only Arsenal player who will be joining the rest of the squad in the United Arab Emirates. Following their eliminations with Switzerland and Ghana respectively, Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey will also return to their duties as Arsenal players.

However, a few Arsenal players remain on World Cup duty. Bukayo Saka and Aaron Ramsdale are part of the England squad, with Saka starting against Iran, the USA and Senegal. Gabriel Martinelli is still in Qatar with Brazil – and William Saliba is part of the France squad that is due to take on England on Saturday.

Gabriel Jesus featured in the World Cup for Brazil, but has now been ruled out for up to three months with a knee injury. Ben White had to leave England’s squad early because of personal reasons and did not travel out to Arsenal’s training camp, according to Metro.