Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu to miss the rest of the season following knee surgery

The Japan international has only played a brief six minutes of football this season, making a substitute appearance in October during a Premier League match against Southampton.

"Takehiro Tomiyasu has successfully undergone surgery on his right knee, a problem he first experienced during pre-season," Arsenal confirmed in a statement on Wednesday.

"Although he had an initial operation in August, followed by a return to full training and a substitute appearance in the Premier League game against Southampton in October, Tomi continued to face issues with his knee. This led to the need for an additional corrective surgery."

"Tomi will now begin his recovery and rehabilitation process, which is expected to conclude by the end of the year."

Tomiyasu's time at Arsenal has been plagued by persistent injury concerns. He missed 13 matches last season due to a calf injury and also had knee surgery during the 2022-23 season. In total, the Japan international has spent 465 days out of action since joining the club in the summer of 2021.

In an Instagram update on Tuesday, Tomiyasu shared: "I had knee surgery a few days ago, and I've already started my rehabilitation to get back to doing what I love most.

"This has undoubtedly been the toughest period of my career, and it continues, but I won't give up."

Arsenal have faced a series of serious injuries this season. Gabriel Jesus (knee) and Kai Havertz (hamstring) have both been ruled out for the rest of the year. Bukayo Saka, who suffered a hamstring injury, has been absent for three months but is expected to return in March.

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