No minutes for Tomiyasu either. But that is to be expected I guess because of how fragile he is. As long as Tomiyasu is in his form for the WC and fit then it's ok
5' Owen Wijndal is replaced by Takehiro Tomiyasu Two substitutions at NEC and three at Ajax. What does this mean for the last half hour of this match? Takehiro Tomiyasu made his debut for Ajax on February 1, with a ten-minute substitute in the away match at Excelsior Rotterdam (2-2). After that, he remained on the bench with the Amsterdam team in the matches against AZ (1-1) and Fortuna Sittard (4-1 win).
Ajax defender Takehiro Tomiyasu after first starting spot in two years: 'I was completely exhausted after an hour' Takehiro Tomiyasu lasted 69 minutes at left back for Ajax on Saturday evening. It was the Japanese defender's first starting spot since May 19, 2024, when he played with Arsenal against Everton. Tomiyasu had a special evening in the Johan Cruijff Arena. The defender started a match for the first time in almost two years. "I was quite nervous," said the 27-year-old Japanese after the 4-0 win against Sparta Rotterdam. "I can do much better and was completely exhausted after more than an hour. But I can continue with this." Tomiyasu is finally fit again after a serious knee injury. The former Arsenal player saw Ajax play with much more energy in the first match with new Spanish coach Óscar García than in the last matches after the winter break. "It shouldn't really matter," he acknowledged. "But the new coach is on top of it. I think we needed this. He demands that we play with a high intensity. I think you saw that in this match. If we play with this energy, you can see that we have talents that have a great future ahead of them." "We still have seven games to play," said Tomiyasu. "We have to win them all. Next week we play the biggest game of the year," he referred to the away game against Feyenoord. "Then we have to play at least with the same commitment." The Japanese defender does not yet know when he will be able to play a whole match. He secretly hopes for a place in Japan's World Cup selection. "But I'm concentrating on Ajax first," said the defender, who is transfer-free at the end of the season. Is there a chance that he will extend his contract with Ajax? "Now is not the right time to talk about that," he stated.
I just watched Tomiyasu highlights against Sparta. His quality is undeniable: technical ability, positioning, IQ and athleticism is fantastic. Because I'm a Chelsea fan I liken Tomi to Reece James. Yes they're not the same kind of player but they're outstanding footballers first and foremost. They can play in multiple positions. And they're extremely injury prone