Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted Gabriel Jesus’ knee injury is “not in a good condition”, with sources telling ESPN he fears the player will miss the rest of the season. He said he was there.
The Athletic reported on Tuesday that Jesus suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament during Arsenal’s penalty shootout defeat to Manchester United.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the Premier League match between Arsenal and Tottenham, Arteta said: “We know more now. Things are not good at all. We’ll get some good information.”
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Asked to confirm whether Jesus had sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury, Arteta said: “I don’t want to confirm anything until the final report comes out this afternoon.”I was very worried after the game and today too. I’m very worried.”
The Arsenal forward left the pitch in the 40th minute after an innocent link-up with United captain Bruno Fernandes.
The injury was on the opposite knee from the one where he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2022.
Arteta was asked if Arsenal are currently under pressure to sign a replacement for Jesus.
“My answer remains the same,” the Spaniard said. “We’re actively looking at the market to strengthen our team. We’ve always done that. I don’t think it’s too naive. We’re exploring and we’re trying to do what we can. Let’s see.”
“To acquire a player, three parties have to agree. The fact that I love the player doesn’t mean we can’t think about improving. We do that every day. And when the market comes, we need to make sure we’re growing and have the best resources and ability to compete in the way we want. ”
Jesus has recently shown his scoring prowess, scoring his first league goal of the season with a double against Crystal Palace in December and adding another in the win over Brentford on New Year’s Day.
He also scored a hat-trick in the League Cup quarter-final against Palace last month.
This is the latest long-term injury among Arsenal’s starting XI, with Bukayo Saka (hamstring), Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) and Ben White (knee) all out for long periods of time.
Ethan Nwaneri and Riccardo Calafioli are also out with muscular injuries.
Regarding Calafioli’s injury, Arteta said: “His condition is not serious. He needs another day or two. The (next) 24 hours will be really important. We will understand more this afternoon. Deaf,” he said.
Information from ESPN’s James Olley and Reuters contributed to this report.