Cerezo Osaka captain and World Cup midfielder Hotaru Yamaguchi has undergone knee surgery and will miss the remainder of the season, the J. League first-division club said Saturday.
The 23-year-old Yamaguchi damaged the meniscus in his right knee during a 0-0 draw at home to FC Tokyo on Aug. 9. He went under the knife on Friday and will need three months to make a complete recovery.
Yamaguchi, who played in all three of Japan's games at this year's World Cup in Brazil, was initially expected to be out for six weeks, but experienced continued discomfort in the knee. Further tests on Monday showed the injury had worsened.