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To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Takehiro Tomiyasu will not play for Arsenal again this season after undergoing knee surgery.
It's been a mightily frustrating campaign for the Japanese defender, who's been bothered by a lingering issue which has allowed him to play just six minutes. Tomiyasu made a late appearance in a 3-1 win over Southampton last October and hasn't been seen since.
Mikel Arteta was typically coy when providing updates over Tomiyasu's fitness, with little known regarding the extent of his knee problem. However, after months on the sidelines, a decision was finally made for Tomiyasu to undergo surgery.
Takehiro Tomiyasu to miss rest of season after undergoing knee surgery
Confirming his successful operation on Instagram, the Arsenal defender wrote: "I’ve had a surgery on my knee few days ago and I’ve already started my rehab to do what I love the most again. It has been the toughest period in my career for sure and it carries on a bit more but I won’t give up.T hank you for your support and see you again."
William Saliba, Bukayo Saka, and Gabriel all replied to Tomiyasu's post, with Saliba writing "Next season bro."
Tomiyasu's contract in north London expires in 2026, but Arsenal do have the option to extend by another year. The former Bologna star penned an extension with the club in March 2024 before featuring heavily during last season's title run-in.
Competition at full-back is fierce, especially with Myles Lewis-Skelly emerging, and Arsenal have been able to cope with Tomiyasu's prolonged absence despite both Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori also enduring spells out. Mikel Arteta values him immensely for his reliability and versatility, and it seems unlikely that the Gunners will sell in the summer off the back of surgery. His stock won't exactly be sky-high.
Nevertheless, Tomiyasu joins Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus in the rehab room for the remainder of 2024/25. While Havertz is hopeful of recovering from a hamstring tear in time for pre-season, Jesus is set to sit out for most of the calendar year after tearing his ACL at the start of January.