Brazil has called up a third Arsenal player following Antony’s disqualification.
Gabriel Jesus has been called up to the Brazilian national squad after the decision to retract Antony’s call-up.
Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus has been working hard to regain full fitness in recent weeks, which may have contributed to his initial exclusion from the Brazilian national squad for the September break.
However, as charges of domestic abuse against Manchester United’s Antony surfaced on Monday, Brazil chose to revoke their invitation to the winger, instead extending it to Jesus.
Jesus had already been named to Brazil coach Fernando Diniz’s 36-man roster, but he will now be called up to the main team.
Jesus will travel to Brazil with Arsenal colleagues Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes, both of whom made the initial squad of 23.
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Brazil will host Bolivia at 01:45 BST on Saturday, September 9th, and Peru at 03:00 BST on Wednesday, September 13th.
Brazil has called up a third Arsenal player following Antony’s disqualification.
The games are the first World Cup qualifiers for the 2026 tournament, which will take place from September 2023 to September 2025.
It’s difficult to assess how Jesus enters into Diniz’s thinking, given that the new head coach has yet to lead a national team game.
This is his first squad, and the inclusion of Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli is a good omen for those two.
As for Jesus, we’ll have to wait and see if his first exclusion was due to his injury or merely a clue that he isn’t considered one of the original 23.
The good news is that the 26-year-old now has an opportunity to impress the new boss and secure a long-term berth in the squad.
