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Arsenal legend Santi Cazorla was devastated to learn of Gabriel Jesus' knee injury at the 2022 FIFA World Cup which is now set to sideline him for months.
Jesus suffered ligament damage in Brazil's 1-0 group stage loss to Cameroon and returned to London, where he's since undergone surgery.
He's been ruled out of action for several months now and Cazorla feels it's bad news for Arsenal. Speaking to The Athletic, the Spaniard said (The Boot Room):
“Really, really bad news for the club, also for the national team as well. For Arsenal, he’s a very important player and the best signing in the summer. He scored a lot of goals and he works very hard for the other players."
He added:
“We’ll see. We have a lot of very good players but Gabriel Jesus is very important and I hope he recovers well and comes back strong.”
It was indeed a big loss for Brazil at the 2022 FIFA World Cup as the Canaries were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Croatia.
Jesus' presence might have given Tite a better choice in the penalty shootouts, where two of their attempts were missed.
His injury also threatens to derail Arsenal's bid for the Premier League title, having played a big part in their prolific start to the 2022-23 season.
In 14 games, he has scored five goals and made six assists to make a huge impact on the side since his switch from Manchester City in the summer.
Jesus' exact return date isn't known but the club put out an official statement saying they are hoping to have him back 'as soon as possible'.
It read:
“Gabby will now begin his rehabilitation programme. Everyone at the club is supporting Gabby and will be working hard to get him back on the pitch as soon as possible.”
The north London side return to action against West Ham United at home in the league on December 26.
Arsenal looking to consolidate Premier League title post FIFA World Cup
Arsenal are set to resume the second half of their 2022-23 campaign later this month. They will be looking to consolidate their position atop the Premier League table.
With 37 points in 14 games, the Gunners are currently leading defending champions Manchester City by five points. They have also made their best-ever start to a top-flight campaign.
However, Mikel Arteta's side will look to build on the momentum from the first few months of their season to compete for their first league title since 2004.
