Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus has suffered a suspected anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear and is likely to miss the rest of the season, according to a report.
The 27-year-old was taken off on a stretcher in Sunday's FA Cup third-round defeat to Manchester United, and head coach Mikel Arteta immediately conceded that the prognosis was not looking good.
Jesus has struggled with a series of knee injuries since joining Arsenal from Manchester City in 2022, undergoing surgery on the issue he suffered at the Qatar World Cup and missing three months of his debut season.
The Brazil international required another minor procedure in the summer of 2023 and has since dropped down behind Kai Havertz in the strikers' pecking order, although he was starting to regain some momentum before his latest crushing blow.
Across four games against Crystal Palace, Ipswich Town and Brentford during the festive period, Jesus came up with six goals, but The Athletic claims that he is now set for a prolonged spell on the sidelines with an ACL rupture.
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Arsenal 'open' to January business after Jesus blow
The report stresses that the extent of the damage has not yet been confirmed, but he will undergo further assessment on Tuesday with a specialist, and all the signs are pointing to the worst possible outcome.
Arteta will face the media at 9.30am on Tuesday morning ahead of Wednesday's Premier League North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur, and the Spaniard will no doubt be pressed for an official update on the 27-year-old.
However, one slight silver lining for Arsenal and Jesus is that the striker has injured his left knee rather than his right, which is the one he has undergone multiple surgeries on already.
The ex-Palmeiras starlet joins fellow attackers Bukayo Saka (hamstring) and Ethan Nwaneri (muscle) in the Arsenal treatment room, as well as defenders Riccardo Calafiori (muscle), Ben White (knee) and Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee).
Following Jesus's devastating blow, Arsenal are said to be open to reinforcing their attack during the January transfer window, which was initially expected to be a reactive rather than a proactive market for the North London giants.
However, Arteta has stressed multiple times that he has full faith in his existing players to step up to the plate, and that is supposedly the 'main focus' inside the Emirates walls, but there is a chance that they could now bring their summer plans forward.
Where do Arsenal go from here? Is Arteta to blame?
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When it rains it pours for Arsenal and Arteta, who put his plans to sign a new attacker on ice last summer in favour of adding Calafiori and Mikel Merino to his ranks, an approach that is yet to yield positive results.
One can understand Arteta's point of view after his players scored a club-record 91 Premier League goals in the 2023-24 season - not even the Invincibles managed that many - but the Spaniard will no doubt be lambasted for failing to prepare for this exact scenario.
There is only so much that the Arsenal boss can do as well; the Gunners had no problem creating a plethora of chances against Manchester United and Newcastle United, but it is ultimately down to the players to take them. Arteta cannot put the ball in the back of the net himself.
Of course, Havertz's recent collection of horror misses will reignite the debate surrounding his £65m move - which Arteta pushed for - and unless the Gunners break the bank this month, a highly unlikely scenario, moves for Benjamin Sesko, Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres are off the table.
Instead, the Gunners are expected to prioritise a loan deal to tide them over before going all out for a top target in the summer, but any temporary deal would have to be from abroad, as Neto and Raheem Sterling are taking up their two Premier League loan spots.
Randal Kolo Muani, Jonathan David and Leroy Sane could be avenues for the Gunners to explore, but if the club fail to add to their offensive ranks between now and February 3, another trophyless season surely awaits for the increasingly under-pressure Arteta, who must shoulder at least a portion of the blame for recent events.
Ben Knapton
