The Japanese international will be out for the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury.

Arsenal might have been dumped out early of several competitions, including the Europa League, the FA Cup, and the EFL Cup, but the Gunners still are in contention for another title much to the joy of their legions of fans.

Mikel Arteta's side currently hold an eight-point gap over reigning Premier League champions Manchester City, but are not in the clear just yet. Not only are there ten games to go, but the Cityzens do have a game in hand, meaning that there is still more work to do for the ambitious London club.

Next up for Arsenal will be a home tie against Leeds United, but the international break has unfortunately brought some bad news.

Defender Takehiro Tomiyasu, who has proven to be a solid defender for Arteta's squad, has now been ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury. The Japanese international sustained an injury during Arsenal's loss to Sporting CP during their round of 16 tie, and was subbed off early after appearing to have overextended his leg much to the concern of observers.

Today, the club revealed that Tomiyasu successfully underwent surgery on Tuesday in London, but his rehab process will keep him out for months - meaning that the earliest he could return looks set to be during pre-season training for Arsenal ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.