Former Brighton and Arsenal player undergoes surgery for fractured cheekbone

The Australian international joined Albion in 2017 and played 123 times for the Premier League side before leaving for Real Sociedad in 2021.

The 31-year-old, who has since played for Copenhagen and then signed for AZ in 2022, suffered the injury in training on Sunday and the Dutch side said he would be out for several weeks.

Now the former Arsenal loanee has taken to X, formerly Twitter, to say: "Eyes on the road ahead. Thanks for the well wishes "

Eyes on the road ahead 🔙🔜Thanks for the well wishes 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/7x8UCUyrY6

— Maty Ryan (@MatyRyan) December 11, 2023

Ryan, who helped keep Brighton in the Premier League during his time on the south coast, is now in a race against time to lead Australia's campaign at January’s Asian Cup.

AZ said in a statement on Monday on their website: “Mathew Ryan suffered a head injury during training on Sunday. The Australian international has now undergone surgery for a fractured cheekbone and will be sidelined for several weeks.”

The Socceroos kickstart their campaign on January 13 against India but it remains to be seen if Ryan will be fit.