Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus looks set to be sidelined for a number of weeks after sustaining a knee injury at the World Cup. The Brazilian made his first start for his nation in Qatar but was substituted in the second half of Brazil's final Group G fixture against Cameroon.
Jesus suffered a medial collateral ligament injury and he has now undergone successful surgery to correct the issue. The Brazilian striker was expected to miss between three to four weeks initially, but the latest news suggests the injury is much worse than first feared.
It's unclear with regard to how long the striker will be sidelined as everything is dependent on how he heals. Jesus has suffered an MCL injury before during his time at Manchester City, but did not require an operation on that occasion.
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Arsenal confirmed that the MCL procedure went well in a statement on Tuesday: "Gabriel Jesus has successfully undergone surgery to his right knee after suffering an injury during the Brazil v Cameroon World Cup group stage match on Friday.
"Gabby will now begin his rehabilitation programme. Everyone at the club is supporting Gabby and will be working hard to get him back on the pitch as soon as possible."
According to Dr. Rajpal Brar, DPT, a typical recovery timeline after an MCL injury is between 10 to 12 weeks. Jesus' club teammate Granit Xhaka has suffered a similar injury in the past and was fully fit again after 70 days (10 weeks), though this was hampered by an accompanying fracture.
That means that the Arsenal star could return to the side at the end of February, although he could miss up to 13 games for the Gunners. Of course, it all depends on how Jesus' rehabilitation programme goes, but judging by his latest Instagram post, he is already looking forward to returning to action.
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