Injury latest on Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus for Spurs clash

Gabriel Jesus could be back in action after the international break and ready to face Tottenham Hotspur, according to a report.

After impressing in pre-season, Gabriel Jesus picked up an injury that has seen him miss Arsenal’s last two Premier League fixtures.

The timing of the injury was certainly unfortunate, as Arsenal could have used him on the break after going down to 10 men against Brighton last weekend.

But the other concern is the games coming up, with a week of matches away to Tottenham Hotspur, Atalanta, and Manchester City after the international break. If Jesus is unavailable for those, it puts a lot of pressure on Kai Havertz.

The good news is that Jesus is expected to be back for at least some of those games, with Charles Watts reporting on his YouTube channel that there’s hope he could be back after the international break.

“On the Gabriel Jesus injury… I have been told there is hope that he could potentially be back after the international break,” Watts said (via Gooner News). “He is stepping up his recovery plan.

“I haven’t got a firm date though, I’ve not been told a firm date.

“When I was speaking at the game at the weekend to someone, they were saying the hope is he might be able to join in training at some point during the international break and could have a chance for Spurs.”

Injuries have plagued Jesus since joining Arsenal. The 27-year-old was initially credited for helping to inspire the 2022/23 title charge, before finding himself in and out of the team with various knee issues and a hamstring problem.

In addition to Havertz’s strong form in front of goal, starting the season with three goal contributions in three games, the German international is also just more reliable on the fitness front.

Havertz is yet to pick up an injury or illness since joining Arsenal, and he only missed 18 games for club and country in three seasons at Chelsea. And 12 of those were through Covid-19 absences, colds, or flu.

Jesus missed 17 games through injury in his first season at Arsenal, 16 in his second, and two so far in his third. Mikel Arteta would struggle to give him consistent minutes even if he started him whenever he was fit.

The Brazilian forward will aim to change that in the coming weeks and months.