Mikel Arteta confirms brutal Gabriel Jesus injury blow and Arsenal plan to replace him
Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus was stretchered off during the Gunners' FA Cup clash with Manchester United on Sunday, with the Brazilian now set for an extended spell on the sidelines
by Ben Husband · The MirrorMikel Arteta is 'very worried' that Gabriel Jesus has suffered a serious injury as he awaits the final results on his knee injury.
The Arsenal striker was stretchered off during the FA Cup clash with Manchester United on Sunday following a collision with Bruno Fernandes. And it is now feared he has suffered a rupture of his Anterior cruciate ligament which will likely keep him out of action for the rest of the season.
Asked about the injury, Arteta said: "We know more now and it's not looking good at all. We need to review with one more specialist and should know more this afternoon.
"I don't want to confirm anything until we have a final doctor report, but we were very worried after the game and we are very worried now."
Arteta was already contending with a number of injuries, most notably to Bukayo Saka, who is out of action with a torn hamstring. Along with the injuries to attacking players, they will also be without Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu for the North London Derby against Tottenham, while Riccardo Calafiori will face a late fitness test.
The injury to Jesus only intensifies the clamour for Arsenal to secure attacking reinforcements before the end of the January window.
Pressed on whether this could change transfer plans for this month: "My answer doesn't change, my answer remains the same. We are actively looking at the market to improve the squad. We have been doing that since day one. We would be naive to not do that, because it's an opportunity to evolve and improve the squad.
"Especially with the circumstances that we have we are looking and we are trying and let's see what we are able to do."
The Gunners are in a position to spend this month, after a relatively economic summer window, but indications have suggested they are willing to wait until the summer. The Arsenal boss did admit that his side have certain restrictions in January that they will have to adhere to.
"We have our limitations like any other club, so we can do what we can do. We can plan our squad and have our limits of what we want to do. The fact that I love our players doesn't mean that we cannot think about improving. We all want the same and we will use every opportunity to improve the squad."
A stop-gap type signing could be on the cards at this point, whether that be a loan or low-cost permanent arrival. Arsenal already have two Premier League loans in Raheem Sterling and goalkeeper Neto, so would need to end one of those, or look abroad in order to secure a temporary solution to their problems.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Sky Sports deal
Sky Sports launches discounted Premier League package
£46 (was £56)
Sky has slashed the price of its Sky Sports, Sky Stream, Sky TV and Netflix bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £240 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.