Arsenal star faces major surgery over ongoing injury struggles | OneFootball

Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu faces even more time on the sidelines, with the club said to be "exploring" the possibility of the Japan international undergoing another knee operation.

Tomiyasu suffered a knee injury in March 2023, having surgery and missing the rest of that campaign while he recovered. The full-back returned for the start of 2023/24, although he sat out a considerable portion of the season when a calf problem occurred.

He then missed Japan's World Cup qualifying games in the summer of 2024 with more knee trouble, which carried on into the current campaign. Tomiyasu did return at the start of October and played six minutes off the bench against Southampton but hasn't featured again since.

The Daily Mail writes that there are "emerging fears" over Tomiyasu's fitness and Arsenal medics are considering going down the path of more surgery. But going under the knife, while potentially a long-term fix, would rule the player out for a "significant period of time" to recover.

At his most effective, Tomiyasu provides versatile defensive cover on either side of the back four. But his absence has been doubly problematic given that Ben White has also been missing. That has seen midfielder Thomas Partey often fill in at right-back in recent weeks.

Arsenal paid around £16m to sign Tomiyasu from Bologna in the summer of 2021. His contract, which was extended less than a year ago, is due to expire at the end of next season. There is an option of a further year until 2027, but there is also speculation that Arsenal could listen to offers this summer.