Mikel Arteta says striker Gabriel Jesus will undergo an MRI scan to determine the severity of what Arsenal described as a ‘slight’ groin injury.
The injury resulted in the 27-year-old forward missing his side’s 2-0 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday.
Initial indications are that the injury is not serious and Jesus is expected to miss a relatively short period, helped by the upcoming international break which follows Arsenal’s home game against Brighton & Hove Albion next Saturday.
Arsenal then travel to Tottenham Hotspur on September 15 and Manchester City seven days later, either side of their Champions League campaign getting started.
Following the victory at Villa park, Arteta said: “Unfortunately on Thursday at the end of the training session he felt something in his groin. We need to assess him when he’s done an MRI scan to see (the extent) but he wasn’t available for the game.”
“We have to see (if it is a long-term injury). Probably tomorrow or Monday we will have the results and see if it’s a matter of days or weeks.”
Jesus came off the bench late on in last Saturday’s win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Brazil international’s game time was limited in 2023-24 amid physical problems and the emergence of Kai Havertz as manager Mikel Arteta’s favoured choice to lead the line.
Jesus ended the campaign with eight goals from 36 appearances across all competitions.
Fellow forward Eddie Nketiah is nearing a move to Nottingham Forest. The Athletic reported on Wednesday that Forest were close to agreeing a fee for the 25-year-old, who was previously pursued by Marseille earlier this summer. Nketiah was an unused substitute against Wolves.
When asked about Nketiah’s future, Arteta said: “At the moment, Eddie is our player. He’s very committed to us. Regardless of the noise, he’s here and he wants to be here with us. He’s really happy that we won the game.”
GO DEEPER
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