Gary Neville had warned Arsenal that they were "done" if they lost Gabriel Jesus for a prolonged period as fears grow around his injury.
The Brazil forward will miss the remainder of the World Cup after picking up a knee issue in their final group game against Cameroon. It was Jesus' first start of the tournament, but he came off with just over an hour played. A scan has now highlighted the problem, which will leave Arsenal sweating on the full diagnosis.
Originally it appeared as if Jesus could miss just a month, but reports claim the Brazilian could now be absent for up to three months. That would threaten to derail their Premier League campaign with the forward crucial to their early season form that has them sat top.
Neville has previously said: “I think Jesus gets injured, you are done.” The former Manchester City man arrived in the summer as the Gunners desperately sought a new frontman who could lead the line, but also compliment the rest of their attacking threats.
Jesus, who has scored five times in all competitions, has done that impressively, forming smart partnerships with the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli. Neville said on the forward's impact: "What Jesus has done upfront is that he’s made the team better. They are fantastic really in all departments, Arsenal.”
The Sky Sports pundit has been firm in his view that he believes Arsenal won't win England's top flight. He insists they will have a patch of difficult results, which may come with Jesus absent.
If the Brazilian were to miss several months then Mikel Arteta will likely have to turn to Eddie Nketiah, who has been Jesus' understudy so far this term. The striker was impressive in the final weeks of last season, but consistency has been an issue throughout his time in the senior squad. Martinelli could potentially play through the centre, but has been incredibly effective from his wider role.
Arteta has also dismissed workload concerns with the majority of his starting XI featuring in every league game this term. "Look at the top players in the world. They play 70 matches, play every three days and make the difference and win the game," he said.
"You want to be at the top, you have to be able to do that. And if we start to put something different in the mind of a young player, I think we are making a huge mistake ... I want them knocking on my door (saying), 'I want to play, I want to win the game'.
"There is no fitness coach in the world that is going to tell me that they cannot do it because I've seen it. The players that score 50 goals do not play 38 games in the season."
