Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus will miss the start of the Premier League season due to a minor knee operation, confirmed manager Mikel Arteta.
“Unfortunately, he had a little procedure this morning,” Arteta stated following Arsenal’s friendly against Monaco at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday. He added, “He had some discomfort in his knee that has been causing some issues and they had to go in and resolve it. It is not something major but he looks to be out for a few weeks I think. It is a big blow because we had him back to his best, especially the way he played against Barcelona (in preseason), and he was in good condition and we lost him.”
“We had to make a decision and the best one is to protect the player and get him back as quick as possible so we decided to do it,” Arteta said. “It is something related to the previous injury that he had and the surgery. He had some irritation in the knee and we had to get it resolved.”
Therefore, coming into the season, Arteta’s starting attackers are Eddie Nketiah and Folarin Balogun, an United States international, however Leandro Trossard and recently signed Kai Havertz can also play up front.
After succeeding on loan at French club Reims last season, Balogun has drawn the interest of many clubs this transfer window, however, Jesus’ injury could make Arteta less willing to sell the striker.