Gabriel Jesus injury update as striker misses Aston Villa

Gabriel Jesus was not included in Arsenal’s squad for their game at Villa Park on Saturday, so what is up with the Arsenal striker?

Arsenal fans were not impressed to learn that Gabriel Jesus had once again picked up another injury.

A couple of hours before the starting lineup was to be announced, it was rumoured that Jesus had not travelled with the squad. When the team news came out, that was confirmed.

Arsenal lineup v Aston Villa

Arsenal starting XI: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber, Rice, Partey, Odegaard, Martinelli, Saka, Havertz

Arsenal subs: Ramsdale, Zinchenko, Kiwior, Calafiori, Jorginho, Nelson, Nwaneri, Trossard, Nelson

The reason? A groin injury as confirmed by Arsenal who say that is is ‘slight’.

Jesus has, of course, suffered a number of injuries since signing for Arsenal from Manchester City in 2022 for £45m. He’s already missed 33 matches for club and country in that time, and with Eddie Nketiah expected to leave the club this summer, some fans are concerned that relying on Jesus could come back to bite Arsenal.

There are no details regarding how long he is likely to be out for, but groin injuries, while common in footballers and involve strains or tears in the muscles of the inner thigh or lower abdomen, can be tricky to recover from.

The most common types are adductor strains, which affect the muscles responsible for bringing the legs together. Recovery time depends on the severity: