Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has backed Eddie Nketiah to take the place of Gabriel Jesus, amid fears the Brazilian may be sidelined until February.
Jesus picked up a knee injury during the World Cup, with the striker subsequently undergoing surgery to fix the problem. As he recovers, Nketiah will take his place as Arsenal 's first-choice striker, with no other natural option in Arteta's squad.
There have been suggestions the Gunners could dip into the transfer market to add to their options up-front. But Arteta has made it clear he is confident Nketiah can help to keep their surprise Premier League title challenge on track.
Nketiah earned a bumper new contract by scoring five goals in his final seven games last season. And that history means Arteta is not concerned the striker has failed to register a goal in the Premier League this campaign.
“We have more faith in Eddie every single day. We see every day what he brings to the team, what he is as a human being and the way he is developing as a player," the Arsenal boss said.
"We got a great response last year when we needed him and he did really well for the team. He is ready. That is why he signed his contract. He is a key player in our squad and he is going to have chances to play.
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“We knew the importance of getting players early in the summer and that is what we want to do in January. This is idealistic but sometimes it is not realistic. Obviously, if you ask my opinion, as quick as possible we want the players in.
“We don’t need a body, we need players that make the team better. I think personalities that have the mentality that want to win and we have to focus on that. We have to be very strict with what we have done and the policy we have had to make the team successful.
"We can afford to get a striker for sure if we want one. We can get a striker, I can guarantee you that. But what we cannot afford to do is get a player here that is not for us. This is what we cannot afford, that is for sure.”
Arteta's backing comes as Arsenal legend Martin Keown challenged the 23-year-old to prove why the Gunners handed him a new contract. Keown believes the time is right for Nketiah to show he can be a reliable frontline option.
"Arsenal had an incredible start to the season and it's important that they pick up from where they left off, but they'll have to do it without the inspirational Gabriel Jesus. Now he's on the treatment table after knee surgery," he told the Daily Mail.
"Manager Mikel Arteta has shown great faith in Nketiah by handing the youngster a new long-term deal. He now has a chance to prove he's good enough to be Jesus's understudy.
"From the bench, Nketiah has looked far more physical, stronger and confident. Nketiah would love nothing more than to pick up the baton from Jesus and run with it and give Arsenal the results to stay at the top of the table.
"Arteta has said he may look in the January transfer window to further strengthen his options, but it's down to Nketiah to prove he has the skillset to keep his club in this Premier League title race."
