Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus will miss the start of the season after undergoing another knee surgery.
Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus will miss the start of the Premier League season, according to manager Mikel Arteta, who announced the Brazilian had a minor knee operation on Wednesday.
The Brazil international lost three months of the season due to a knee injury sustained at the World Cup, and he now faces a shorter layoff following another operation.
“Unfortunately, he had a little procedure this morning,” Arteta revealed following Arsenal’s friendly against Monaco at the Emirates Stadium. “He had some discomfort in his knee that was causing some problems, so they had to go in and fix it.” It’s nothing serious, but he appears to be out for a few weeks. It’s a significant blow because he was back to his best, especially after his performance against Barcelona (in preseason), and he was in terrific shape, and we lost him.”
Arteta stated that Jesus had been experiencing “discomfort” in his knee for some weeks.
“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,” Arteta added. “It has something to do with his previous injury and surgery.” He experienced some knee soreness that needed to be addressed.”
Eddie Nketiah and United States international Folarin Balogun are Arteta’s two true attackers heading into the season, while Leandro Trossard and new signing Kai Havertz can also play up front.
After thriving on loan at French club Reims last season, Balogun has piqued the curiosity of other clubs in this transfer window, however Jesus’ injury may make Arteta less keen to move the striker.
