Gabriel Jesus' knee injury could be a major problem for Arsenal. The striker was forced off injured in Brazil's 1-0 defeat to Cameroon and will play no further part at the World Cup.
Mikel Arteta will be sweating on the 25-year-old's fitness, with conflicting reports emerging on Sunday over how long Jesus will be out for. football.london initially reported that Jesus has been ruled out for three to four weeks after scans detected an injury.
However, 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, Arteta will be without his No. 9 for the vital run of Premier League fixtures upon the return of domestic football.
READ MORE: Brazil boss Tite hits out at 'evil lies' over Gabriel Jesus claim amid Arsenal injury return date
Jesus has played a vital part in Arsenal's season so far and any length of time on the sidelines will be a major blow for the Gunners. Arteta's side currently sit top of the Premier League by five points and can be considered genuine title contenders this season.
While Jesus has struggled in front of goal of late, he started the season in electric form and has five goals in 20 games in all competitions for Arsenal. He has also set up a further seven goals.
Now, with the January transfer window opening in less than a month, some Gunners fans will be wondering if Edu will look to sign a striker to fill the void. With Eddie Nketiah the only other senior striker at the club, the Gunners are somewhat light up front.
One name who could be considered is Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar left Manchester United with immediate effect last month and is now a free agent heading into the January window.
The 37-year-old's Old Trafford future had been in doubt ever since his controversial TV interview on TalkTV with Piers Morgan. United were said to be 'furious' with Ronaldo after the interview, in which the five-time Ballon d'Or winner claimed that he felt betrayed by the club.
In a statement released on November 22, the Red Devils said: "Cristiano Ronaldo is to leave Manchester United by mutual agreement, with immediate effect. The club thanks him for his immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford."
With Ronaldo now a free agent, Arsenal and Chelsea are among the clubs tipped to sign the legendary forward. Interestingly enough, one of the teams Ronaldo made a point of praising for their progress in his interview with Morgan was Arsenal.
Asked if he would like to see Arsenal win the Premier League he confessed: “I hope so." He then added: “Manchester first, and if not, Arsenal is some team that I like to see play.”
On Arsenal, Ronaldo added: “I like the team. I like the coach. I think they have a good team. And if Manchester United don’t win the Premier League, I will be happy if Arsenal do.”
So, with Arsenal potentially looking for a striker in the January window following Jesus' injury, and Ronaldo without a club, it could be viewed as a win-win deal. However, football.london reported last month that Arsenal are highly unlikely to be interested in completing any deal.
Of course, nothing can be ruled out for certain, but when taking into consideration Arteta's non-negotiables which include a high work rate and certain kinds of positive behaviours, a deal doesn't seem on the cards.
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