Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus is facing up to three months out of action after picking up a knee injury while at the World Cup, according to reports. Jesus was ruled out of the rest of the tournament on Saturday after being forced off injured in Brazil's 1-0 defeat to Cameroon.
Jesus had appeared for only 28 minutes in A Selecao's opening two tournament games against Serbia and Switzerland but was named in Tite's starting XI for the final group game on Friday alongside Gunners' teammate Gabriel Martinelli. However, the 25-year-old was forced to come off after sustaining a knock to his knee.
Yesterday (Saturday), football.london reported that the Gunners forward would miss three weeks of action, ruling him out of Boxing Day's Premier League return. However, reports overnight have suggested the injury is much worse than first anticipated.
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According to sporttv [via Daily Mail], Jesus could be forced to watch from the sidelines for three months and not return until at least March. Should the reports be accurate, Mikel Arteta will be without his No. 9 for the vital run of Premier League fixtures upon the return of domestic football.
Jesus has been instrumental to Arsenal's rise to the top of the table this season following his move from Manchester City in the summer. Involved in 12 goals in 20 appearances, the Brazilian has formed a solid partnership with Bukayo Saka, Martinelli and Martin Odegaard in the Gunners frontline.
Should Arsenal be without Jesus until March, he will miss key league fixtures against Tottenham, Manchester United and Manchester City. His absence could force technical director Edu to delve into the transfer window next month with Mykhaylo Mudryk and Cody Gakpo strongly linked with a move to north London.
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