Author: Amrit Santlani
Gabriel Jesus will miss the match against his former team. The Brazilian is likely to return to action in “a few weeks”. Mikel Arteta confirmed that Jesus had undergone surgery after missing the pre-season friendly against Monaco, which Arsenal won 5-4 on penalties.
For those who don’t know, Jesus also missed most of last season after suffering a serious knee injury, which required surgery, and was sidelined for a long period. The 26-year-old suffered the injury during Brazil’s match against Cameroon in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup.
The latest injury is related to his old problem, and the striker has been feeling pain in recent weeks, Arteta confirmed. “It’s a big blow, because he was getting back to his best level. Unfortunately, he underwent a small procedure this morning. He had an irritation on his knee and we had to solve the problem. It’s nothing serious, but I think he’ll be out for a few weeks” he added.
The latest setback comes just a few days before Arsenal take on Premier League and FA Cup winners Manchester City in the Community Shield. Arsenal’s first league game will be on August 12 at the Emirates.
In Jesus’ absence, Eddie Nketiah will continue to lead the team. The 24-year-old wore the captain’s armband in the friendly against Monaco and was one of those who benefited from Gabriel’s absence last season.
Due to his untimely injury, the Brazilian was limited to just 33 appearances in his debut season, although he started brightly, scoring 11 goals and providing a further 8 assists in all competitions.
After crashing out of the title at the end of last year, Arteta’s side made some spectacular signings in the transfer window, adding players like Jurrien Timber, Kai Havertz and Declan Rice, the club’s record signing, to help them dethrone Man City from the top of the table.