Arsenal have confirmed forward Gabriel Jesus has undergone surgery on his knee and as a result will be sidelined for quite some time as part of his recovery process.
The Gunners confirmed the unfortunate news with a statement that read: "Gabriel Jesus has successfully undergone surgery to his right knee after suffering an injury during the Brazil v Cameroon World Cup group stage match on Friday.
"Gabby will now begin his rehabilitation programme.
"Everyone at the club is supporting Gabby and will be working hard to get him back on the pitch as soon as possible."
The 25-year-old was withdrawn mid-way through the second-half of Brazil's clash with Cameroon last Friday and reports initially suggested Jesus would only miss three weeks - the rest of the World Cup.
Instead, it is a now a case of months rather than weeks, with many expecting Jesus to be unavailble for a minimum of 12 weeks which has plunged the Gunners title prospects into huge doubt.
Jesus is arguably Arsenal's most important player and while he has hardly scored for fun since signing in the summer, he has completely transformed the way the Gunners play.
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His five goals are nothing to be scoffed at, but the way he conducts Arsenal's front-line and brings the best out of the young talent around him like Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli is a huge reason behind why the Gunners are where they are 14 games in.
Mikel Arteta's men are five points clear at the top of the table, having tasted a league defeat just once so far this term, that blemish coming against Manchester United away from home when Jesus was still Arsenal's brightest spark on the day.
The timing of Jesus' injury and subsequent surgery means he will be forced to miss a number of huge fixtures that could shape the course of Arsenal's season.
The Gunners will have to take on the likes of Newcastle, local rivals Tottenham and even potentially Jesus' former side Manchester City without their £45million man.
Due to the handsome cushion they have earned for themselves after their stellar start to the season, Arsenal will still consider their hopes of landing a top-four finish and Champions League qualification solid.
It remains to be seen whether Arteta will try and sign a Jesus replacement in the coming weeks once the January transfer window officially opens.
