Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus is to undergo surgery following the knee injury he suffered while playing for Brazil at the World Cup, and may face months out, according to a report.
Jesus picked up suspected medial ligament damage during the Selecao’s 1-0 loss to Cameroon in their final group game, and was ruled out of the remainder of the tournament.
And now comes the news from The Telegraph that he is to go under the knife, with the resulting period of recovery potentially keeping him on the sidelines for months.
Later on Tuesday Arsenal confirmed that the surgery but did not give any specifics on the potential time frame for a recovery.
Jesus had been a bit-part player for Brazil in Qatar, as Richarlison’s form saw him keep the No. 9 spot under coach Tite.
But prior to the World Cup, the 25-year-old had been a key cog in Arsenal’s Premier League title charge, scoring five goals with six assists to take the Gunners top before the mid-season pause.
After contracting his injury, there were rumours that Jesus had been carrying a niggle into the encounter with Cameroon, but they were angrily scotched by Tite.
“I don’t like hearing lies out there, evil lies,” the Brazil boss said. “At no time do we play for victory at the risk of a player’s peril.
“The liar who’s out there – because that’s the name isn’t it, the haters, right?
“We are responsible, we are personally responsible, we are ethical and it would never have happened.
“I didn’t want this to happen, it’s a shame, we are very sorry for Gabriel.”
It is understood that Jesus has already returned to England from the Gulf for his assessment and to expedite the recovery process in a bid to play some part in the back-end of Arsenal’s season.