London [UK], August 3 : Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta confirmed that their Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus will miss the first few weeks of the 2023-24 season after going for knee surgery.
Arteta confirmed after Arsenal's penalty shoot-out win over Monaco to secure the Emirates Cup on Wednesday, that the 26-year-old forward has undergone a "procedure" on his knee.
"Unfortunately, he had a little procedure this morning. He's had some discomfort in his knee that caused him some issues so they had to go in. It's not something major but he's going to be out for a few weeks," Arteta said as quoted by Sky Sports.
The former Manchester City striker played a crucial role in the success Arsenal achieved last season. Arsenal's downfall came when he got injured and they lost their attacking intensity. Arteta highlighted the impact that Jesus absence will have on his team and said, "It's 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 quickly as possible. We decided to do it," Arteta added.
The Arsenal boss also revealed Jesus' latest set-back was related to a previous knee injury suffered during last winter's World Cup, which forced him to miss most of the second half of the season.
"He had some irritation in the knee and we had to get it resolved," Arteta signed off.
Coming to the match, Arsenal clinched the Emirates final against AS Monaco. Youssouf Fofana drew the first blood by breaking the stalemate in the 31st minute.
Eddie Nketiah equalized for the Gunners before the final minutes of the first half. Both teams tested each other's defensive capabilities.
The scoreline remained the same and the game went to penalties. Arsenal won on penalties by 5-4 to claim the title.
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