Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed that Gabriel Jesus will be unavailable for the start of the 2023-24 Premier League campaign. The Brazilian striker has undergone a minor knee injury after being in discomfort for the last few weeks.
Jesus, who joined the Gunners from Manchester City last summer, endured a knee injury while representing Brazil at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. It caused him to miss three months of Premier League action in the 2022-23 season. The 26-year-old scored 11 goals and claimed eight assists across 33 games in his debut season at the Emirates Stadium.
BREAKING: Mikel Arteta confirms that striker Gabriel Jesus had a procedure this morning on his knee and is expected to be out for a few weeks 🤒 pic.twitter.com/eL9A03tTYe
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 2, 2023
Arsenal attacker Gabriel Jesus to be “out for a few weeks”
Following Arsenal‘s shootout win over Monaco in the Emirates Cup on Wednesday (August 2), Arteta confirmed that his star striker has undergone another knee operation. He, however, is hopeful of a much shorter spell on the sidelines this time around. Speaking to the press, the Spaniard said (via The Daily Mail):
“Unfortunately, he had a little procedure this morning. He had some discomfort in his knee that has been causing some issues and they had to go in and resolve it. It is not something major but he looks to be out for a few weeks I think.
“It is a big blow because we had him back to his best, especially the way he played against Barcelona (in preseason), and he was in good condition and we lost him.”
Jesus’ minor knee surgery is a protective measure
Arteta further revealed that Jesus had been feeling discomfort for a while and the club wanted to protect the player.
The Arsenal boss added:
“We had to make a decision and the best one is to protect the player and get him back as quickly as possible so we decided to do it.
“It is something related to the previous injury that he had and the surgery. He had some irritation in the knee and we had to get it resolved.”
With Jesus ruled out for the FA Community Shield clash against Manchester City on Sunday (August 6), Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard, Eddie Nketiah, or Folarin Balogun could operate as Arsenal’s center-forward.
After participating in Sunday’s curtain-raiser, the north Londoners will welcome Nottingham Forest for their Premier League opener on August 12.
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