Arsenal and Brazil striker Gabriel Jesus arrived at Arsenal’s training centre on crutches as his recovery from knee surgery begins.
The former Manchester City star Gabriel Jesus was spotted arriving at Arsenal’s training ground on crunches as Gunners boss Mikel Arteta admitted the club may need a potential replacement for the 25-year-old Brazilian.
Arsenal’s significant forward Gabriel is expected to spend some time off the pitch after sustaining a knee injury in the just-concluded Qatar World Cup.
The 25-year-old Arsenal star limped off the pitch during Brazil’s shock World Cup group stage defeat to Cameroon.
Gabriel Jesus damaged knee during the game ruled him out of the rest of the World Cup actions.
Thereafter, he underwent knee surgery and a video of him strolling around on crutches emerged on social media.
As it stands, the 25-year-old Brazilian will not be seen in football action in a month, which means Gabriel could miss four games for Arsenal when the Premier League returns in late December.
His injury has left the Premier League toppers, Arsenal fearing their dominance might derail after the Gunners sprinted into a five-point lead over Manchester City before domestic football was halted.
Meanwhile, Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta has admitted that the Gunners may need to look for an alternative in January’s transfer window to cover for the injured Gabriel.
In his pre-match interview ahead of Arsenal’s Boxing Day clash with West Ham, Arteta said: “With Gabi, it’s difficult to put a time frame. I never gave a date. I said that we don’t know.”
“It’s going to take some time for sure. He’s gone through surgery and that tells you the extent of the injury.”
“We will be in the market always active and we will assess the biggest opportunities that we have.”
Gabriel Jesus has proven to be an integral member of Arteta’s domineering team following his summer transfer from Premier League rivals Manchester City.
The Brazilian presence in Arsenal has turned the team around and established the Gunners as a fearful team they were not in decades.
Arsenal had won seven of their last eight Premier League matches and had not lost since an early September defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Manchester City’s shocking defeat to Brentford in November allowed Arsenal to level up a five-point lead in the Premier League table.
Meanwhile, Arsenal will meet another tough challenge as difficult fixtures against Newcastle, Tottenham, and Manchester United await the Premier League toppers in January.
Gabriel Jesus will miss out on the matches against West Ham, Brighton, and Newcastle, but Arsenal will be hoping the Brazilian will be fit to feature against Tottenham on January 15, 2023.
