ARSENAL ace Takehiro Tomiyasu has been ruled out for the rest of the season.
Tomiyasu hobbled off the pitch on Thursday with a knee injury against Sporting Lisbon in the Europa League Last 16 at the Emirates.
The full-back underwent knee surgery in London earlier today and doctors deemed he will have to miss the rest of the campaign.
Arsenal issued the following statement: “Following his substitution during last Thursday’s Europa League match, subsequent assessments have confirmed that Takehiro Tomiyasu sustained a significant injury to his right knee.
“Tomi [Tomiyasu] has had successful surgery in London on Tuesday and will be ruled out for the remainder of this season.
“Everyone at the club will now be working hard with Tomi, so he can join pre-season training ahead of next season.”
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This poses as a major blow for Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes as manager Mikel Arteta only has Ben White at right-back until May.
The Gunners sent Cedric Soares out on loan to Fulham during the January transfer window.
Therefore, White, who plays predominantly as a centre-back, will have to cover the right flank in defence.
However, the England international has stood out in this position since the start of the campaign.
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The 25-year-old perfectly compliments Arteta’s back four, which also consists of William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
However, the Spanish tactician has also dealt with another injury blow as Saliba also limped out on Thursday’s Europa League exit.
The centre-back was ruled out of Sunday’s Premier League win against Crystal Palace.
And reports suggest the France international could be out for “several weeks”, and is set to withdraw from international duty.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
