Gabriel Jesus to miss start of the season with knee injury

Mikel Arteta disclosed that leading striker Gabriel Jesus will miss the start of the 2023/24 season with a knee injury.

The Brazilian had shown signs of returning to his most potent form this form after missing three months of the 2022/23 campaign. His impact in north London was immediate and transformative, and his latest setback will certainly concern many.

Arsenal were in Emirates Cup action on Wednesday evening and lifted the Emirates Cup after beating AS Monaco on penalties – following a 1-1 draw – with Jesus missing out as a result of his knee issue. His likely replacement, Eddie Nketiah, was on target for the Gunners.

Gabriel Jesus to miss start of the season with knee injury

There initially weren’t too many concerns after it was revealed on Wednesday morning that Jesus would miss Wednesday’s games. However, Arteta broke the bad news post-match: “Unfortunately, he [Jesus] has had a little procedure this morning, he had some discomfort in his knee that has been causing some issues and they had to go in and resolve it. It’s not something major, but he’s going to be out for a few weeks I think,” the boss told arsenal.com.

Arteta noted that Jesus’ issue is related to his previous knee injury, sustained in December 2022, and Arsenal hope that this latest surgery will completely resolve the problem.

Nevertheless, his absence is a big blow for the start of the Gunners’ 2023/24 campaign. While there’s not yet a timescale for Jesus’ return, the Brazilian will be expected to miss the first few games.

In his absence, Arteta does have a couple of options. He could retain his faith in Nketiah, deploy either Kai Havertz or the in-form Leandro Trossard in the role, or dip his toe into the transfer market. The latter, though, is unlikely.

Eddie, it looks like it’s over to you, my friend.