Gabriel Jesus is set to miss the rest of the World Cup after sustaining a knee injury, according to reports.
The Arsenal forward was forced to come off during Brazil's 1-0 defeat to Cameroon in the final game of the World Cup group stages after suffering with pain in his right knee. Now football.london understands that the 25-year-old has been ruled out for three to four weeks after scans detected an injury.
Those same reports claim that Jesus had been dealing with discomfort during some matches for Arsenal as they opened up a five point lead at the top of the Premier League before the World Cup break. Assuming the reports are accurate this would see Jesus miss the Gunners first competitive game back against West Ham on Boxing Day at the Emirates Stadium. There is hope that he will be able to return by January though.
READ MORE: Arsenal's Granit Xhaka embroiled in World Cup controversy after Switzerland victory over Serbia
Regardless of how little time Jesus does end up missing, any absence will be a huge blow for Arsenal. The Brazilian striker has been an essential member of Mikel Arteta's squad since arriving from Manchester City in January scoring five goals and grabbing six assists.
“We now have a new confidence, a spark, and that winning mentality that he has,” Arteta said of the 25-year-old back in August. “He competes for every ball and transmits his energy and his quality to the rest of the team.”
Arsenal remain in close contact with Jesus. He will stay in Qatar with the rest of the Brazil camp rather than coming back to north London.
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