Arsenal are sweating over the fitness of star striker Gabriel Jesus after the forward injured his knee in Brazil's final World Cup group stage match against Cameroon. The 25-year-old featured in a rotated side named by Tite, having already qualified for the last-16 of the tournament.
Unfortunately for Jesus, his first start in the competition came to a premature end as he came off just after the hour mark with a concern. After the game, it was revealed that the former Manchester City man would be missing the rest of the competition due to the injury.
There were reports that suggested the striker had started the game despite feeling pain in his knee beforehand, but those claims were shut down by the Selecao head coach: "These are evil lies, from those who want to do bad things to others,” Tite told reporters. "Not at any time here in the national team did we pay the price for victory with the health of an athlete."
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For Arsenal though, the damage may already have been done, though there remains no clear sign as to how long the summer signing will be out for. Initial reports suggested three-to-four weeks could be the recovery time, but recent updates from Brazil have claimed it could be as long as three month.
That would leave Mikel Arteta with a huge task on his hands with replacing Jesus in his forward line, given his importance in the side's all-round play. The striker and his family have all flown back to London to return to Arsenal, with the Evening Standard reporting that a knee specialist is set to look at his injury.
It should give the Gunners a clearer idea of the time frame they are working with and whether plans within the squad and the upcoming January transfer window change.
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