Arsenal Star, Gabriel Jesus sidelined after knee surgery – Mikel Arteta confirms

“Unfortunately, he 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,” Arteta stated.

“The issue is related to his previous injury and the surgery. He experienced some irritation in the knee, and we had to address it.

“It’s a big blow because we had him back to his best, especially with the way he played against Barcelona, and he was in good condition, and now we’ve lost him.

“He’s been feeling some discomfort in the last few weeks, so we had to assess it and make a decision. The best option is to protect the player and get him back as quickly as possible, so we decided to do it.”

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As a result of the surgery, Jesus will miss Arsenal’s upcoming Community Shield clash with Manchester City and is likely to sit out their initial Premier League fixtures against Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, and Fulham.

During Jesus’s previous lengthy absence in the middle of the 2022-23 season, Eddie Nketiah, Leandro Trossard, and Gabriel Martinelli proved to be effective options up top. Additionally, Folarin Balogun, who excelled during his loan stint at Reims, presents another alternative for Arteta.

Meanwhile, Albert Sambi Lokonga (muscle), Reiss Nelson (toe), and Oleksandr Zinchenko (calf) are also nursing injuries, but Arteta is optimistic about Zinchenko’s swift return to action.

Regarding Balogun’s potential departure to Inter Milan, Arteta clarified that Jesus’s injury does not affect the club’s plans, despite Arsenal standing firm on their £50m asking price.

“The plan with Flo doesn’t change at all, but unfortunately, with Gabby, we are not going to have him. We have other options to play with different qualities of players, so we will adapt,” Arteta added.

Furthermore, Bukayo Saka did not feature in the match due to illness, though Arteta expects him to return to action soon.