Arsenal are set to be without Gabriel Jesus for the start of the season having had surgery on a knee injury, Mikel Arteta has revealed.
The Gunners capped off their pre-season schedule with victory in the Emirates Cup as they beat Monaco 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
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They now face one final test before the Premier League returns with a trip to Wembley for the Community Shield against Manchester City, live on talkSPORT.
However, their preparations ahead of Sunday’s clash have been scuppered as a result of Jesus’ latest injury.
The Brazilian was left out of the squad that beat Monaco and boss Mikel Arteta revealed the reason why soon after full-time.
“Unfortunately he had a little procedure this morning,” the Spaniard said on the 26-year-old.
“He’s had some discomfort in his knee that caused him some issues, so they had to go in [for surgery]. He’s going to be out for a few weeks.”
He added: “A big blow because we had him back to his best, especially with the way he played against Barcelona and he was in good condition but unfortunately we lost him.
“We had to look at it and we had to make a decision and the best one is to protect the player and get him back as quick as possible. We decided to do it.
“It’s something related to the previous injury he had and the surgery. He had some irritation in the knee and we had to get it resolved.”
Jesus missed over three months of last season due to a knee injury he sustained at the World Cup with Brazil.
He returned to action in March and scored six goals before the end of the campaign, and even netted during pre-season.
Arsenal fans may also be set to keep an eye on their statement summer signing Declan Rice ahead of the weekend.
During their lap of honour around the Emirates Stadium pitch, he was seen hobbling amid a knock to the calf in training.
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The midfielder signed from West Ham in a £105million deal, with expectations therefore high.
Bukayo Saka also didn’t feature in the match, however, this was due to illness, so he will be in contention to face City.
