Arsenal have been handed a major blow in their Premier League title charge after the club confirmed the severity of Takehiro Tomiyasu's injury.
The right-back suffered a knock in last week's Europa League last-16 exit to Sporting CP after over-extending in a challenge. He later left the Emirates Stadium on crutches before Mikel Arteta admitted the injury was "not looking good".
Now, the club have released a statement outlining the seriousness of the 24-year-old's injury. It read: "Tomi has had successful surgery in London on Tuesday and will be ruled out for the remainder of this season.
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"Everyone at the club will now be working hard with Tomi, so he can join pre-season training ahead of next season."
Tomiyasu's absence will be a colossal loss for the Gunners after his versatility has come in handy across the season. It now means Ben White is the only available right-back for the remainder of the season.
The Japanese international wasn't the only Arsenal star to be forced off in the defeat to Sporting. William Saliba followed his defensive partner down the tunnel a few minutes later with a back injury - forcing him to withdraw from the France national team.
Saliba is expected to undergo further scans to determine the severity of the injury throughout the international break ahead of a busy April. "We hope Willy [Saliba] is going to be better news," Arteta said on Sunday. "Again, we have to wait tomorrow to get a better picture."
Saliba and Tomiyasu join Eddie Nketiah and Mohamed Elneny in the medical room at London Colney. The Hale Ender forward has been missing since the 4-0 win over Everton at the start of the month.
Despite initial hope he may return to the squad before the international break, the 23-year-old has continued to be absent from Arteta's squad. "It's getting better. He's still in the [protective] boot," the Gunners boss told the media.
"He's still a few weeks away and we need to be patient. It was a nasty injury and he has a big challenge ahead of him. Thank God it's not as bad as it could have been."
Elneny is another absence for the Gunners. The Egyptian has been out since January after a club statement confirmed he would be out for an extended period of time.
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