Takehiro Tomiyasu's spell on the sidelines could be extended based on a fresh report about the Arsenal star's recovery from injury.

Tomiyasu has made just one appearance for the Gunners this season as he continues to recover from a knee injury. The Japan international played for just six minutes in the win over Southampton in the Premier League back in October but has been unavailable ever since.

The 26-year-old featured in the win over the Saints after a recovery from a knee injury that ruled him out of the start of the season. Tomiyasu continues to be unavailable for Arsenal, and now an update has emerged about the defender's fitness.

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According to the Daily Mail, Tomiyasu could be forced to undergo a knee operation after having consultations with club doctors. It has been reported that while no decisions have been made on whether or not Tomiyasu will require surgery, there are "fears" that the defender could be set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines in recovery should a procedure go ahead.

This would not be the first time that Tomiyasu has undergone surgery since his move to Arsenal. The defender had surgery on a knee injury in March 2023 that ruled him out for three months and missed the end of the 2022/23 season.

Arteta spoke last year about Tomiyasu's recent injury after the defender was unavailable once again following the appearance against Southampton. Arteta admitted at the time that he did not know how long Tomiyasu would be unavailable for.

“We don’t know that,” Arteta told reporters in October when asked if Tomiyasu had suffered an injury setback “It doesn’t hopefully look like a long period [out], but we have to see when he comes back and how he reacts to the load and to the impact on the pitch as well.

“We really need him, he’s been incredible. The work rate, the amount of hours that he’s put in to get back – he did it - and was in great shape and then picked up something. We’re all behind him, he needs our support and hopefully, he’ll be fine.”