London, Feb 19 (IANS): Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu has undergone surgery on his knee and is expected to miss the rest of the 2024-25 campaign.

Tomiyasu, whose contract has 18 months left to run, has been absent for Arsenal since coming on as a substitute in the Premier League victory against Southampton in October.

Tomiyasu shared a photo on Instagram, in which the full-back posed with a thumbs up as he balanced with his crutches, with his right knee strapped up, with a caption, "I’ve had a surgery on my knee a few days ago, and I’ve already started my rehab to do what I love the most again. It has been the toughest period in my career for sure and it carries on a bit more, but I won’t give up. Thank you for your support, and see you again."

In 2023, Tomiyasu underwent a unique knee surgery that sidelined the 26-year-old for three months. Now, a second knee operation has dealt another setback to Tomiyasu, whose time at Arsenal has already been plagued by injury troubles.

The Japan international joined Arsenal from Serie A side Bologna in 2021. He made 20 Premier League starts in his debut season at the Emirates, but ongoing injury issues have limited him to just 17 league starts since then.

The 26-year-old became the latest star to be sidelined for the Gunners, alongside Germany international Kai Havertz, who will miss the remainder of the campaign after suffering a hamstring injury during a training camp in the UAE. He later underwent surgery last Saturday.

"The last few days have been tough to process both physically and mentally. But yesterday was a good day. A successful op and a win. Thanks for all the messages of support over the last few days, it’s really helped. I’m now focused on my journey to full fitness and giving all the support I can give to the team in the background," Havertz has posted on social media.