Arsenal have confirmed that Takehiro Tomiyasu will miss the rest of the season after sustaining a serious knee injury during the Gunners' clash with Sporting CP last Thursday.
The right-back limped off in the ninth minute of the Europa League last-16 second-leg tie after he injured himself lunging into a tackle. Tomiyasu, who was replaced by Ben White, left the Emirates Stadium in crutches and Mikel Arteta didn't sound confident when asked about his condition.
After the game, he said: "Tomiyasu looks pretty serious from his reaction straight [away] and what he said to me, but obviously, it's very early." The Japan international played no further part in the penalty shootout defeat against Sporting and was also forced to sit out of the Gunners' 4-1 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Now, it has been confirmed that Tomiyasu will miss the remainder of the campaign after undergoing "successful surgery" on the injury - and won't play anymore part in Arsenal's title push. The former Bologna defender is expected to return ahead of pre-season, with a view to be back at the start of next season.
This will no doubt be a major blow to the Gunners' title bid, with Tomiyasu a key figure inside the Gunners dressing room, although he has been sparsely used this season. He has featured in 21 of their 28 Premier League matches despite starting just six of them - with White often preferred in the right-back position.
Tomiyasu can also play on the left side of defence, but with Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney battling for that berth, he hasn't been required to fill in. In all competitions, Tomiyasu has featured in 32 matches and can be satisfied with the job he has done in the Arsenal team this season.
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Last year, White heaped praise on teammate Tomiyasu for how he had settled into life at the Gunners following his move from Bologna. "Tomi is amazing," said White. "He's always focused, it’s an honour to play next to him.
"Tomi does the simple things at a world-class level. He is very alert and he isn’t careless in games. From the beginning, he’s completely understood English, and speaks as well as I do."
Meanwhile, Arsenal legend Martin Keown also hailed Tomiyasu earlier this season and admitted he is the Gunners' best out-and-out defender. This was after he shone during a Europa League clash against PSV.
He told BT Sport: "Tomiyasu is probably Arsenal’s best out and out defender, in a one v one situation. Look at how dominant he is in the air. He’s a big boy actually. They have dealt with that problem [of Gakpo] really well."
