Tokyo Verdy midfielder Naoto Sawai has undergone surgery to repair a torn right Achilles tendon.
The 21-year-old, who is in his fourth full season with the club, suffered the injury in training.
Sawai was the team’s joint-second best scorer in 2016, with six goals from 31 MEIJI YASUDA J2 League appearances.
Tokyo Verdy will open this year’s campaign at Tokushima Vortis on February 26.