Arsenal have wrapped up their preseason with a win over Monaco, albeit a frustrating one, in the Emirates Cup. The North London giants welcomed the French outfit to their home ground and beat them 5-4 on penalties after drawing 1-1 in normal time.
Arteta's three summer signings made their home debuts, with Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber starting the game while Kai Havertz was introduced off the bench. However, one important player was missing from the squad altogether, with the manager later revealing a worrying update.
That player is Gabriel Jesus, the Gunners' first-choice striker who played a key role in the 5-3 victory over Barcelona during their tour of the USA. The Brazilian was not in the lineup or the bench, with the club announcing that he was suffering from a knee issue that needed assessment.
Following the Emirates Cup triumph, Arteta was quizzed on the Brazilian and he made an alarming admission. The Spaniard revealed that he underwent a procedure after dealing with knee discomfort for weeks and will now be sidelined for a few weeks as a result.
And to make things worse, the knee in question is the one Gabriel injured last year at the 2022 FIFA World Cup which kept him out of action for four months.
"Unfortunately he had a little procedure this morning," Arteta said. "He had some discomfort in his knee that has been causing some issues and he had to go and resolve it. It's not something major but he is going to be out for a few weeks I think."
Mikel Arteta confirms that striker Gabriel Jesus had a procedure this morning on his knee and is expected to be out for a few weeks pic.twitter.com/Ptk39enDTT
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 2, 2023
"It's a big blow because we had him back to his best, especially the way he played against Barcelona. He was in good condition and we lost him but he's been feeling some discomfort in the last few weeks and we had to make a decision.
"The best one was to protect the player and get him back as quickly as possible."
"It's something related to the previous injury he had and the surgery," Mikel later added. "He had some irritation in the knee and we had to get it resolved."
This means the South American ace will miss Sunday's showdown with Manchester City in the Community Shield. Last season, Gabriel played only once against his former club and he will be forced to sit out the upcoming trip to Wembley as well.
Furthermore, with Arsenal kicking off their Premier League campaign at home to Nottingham Forest in 10 days, Jesus is set to miss the first few games of the upcoming season.
Fortunately, Arteta has Eddie Nketiah, who scored the equalizer against Monaco, Leandro Trossard, and Kai Havertz who can deputize. While Folarin Balogun is another great option up front, the USMNT ace is expected the leave the Emirates Stadium this summer in search of regular playing time.
