has confirmed Gabriel Jesus has suffered a fresh knee injury which ruled him out of ’s showdown against Liverpool.
Jesus has seven goals in 21 appearances this season and was expected to feature against ’s side in the third round clash at the Emirates this afternoon.
But he was left out of the squad
Speaking after the defeat, Arteta explained Jesus underwent a scan which revealed a concern with the same knee that has caused the striker problems over the last year.
The Gunners boss suggested his absence was precautionary with the full extent of the issue still to be determined.
‘He had some pain in his knee, so we have done a scan and it has showed something,’ Arteta said post-match.
‘Hopefully it is not something big but it is the same knee that he had so we cannot take any risk.’
Jesus missed three months of action last season after undergoing surgery to address a knee problem suffered at the World Cup in Qatar.
The former Manchester City missed the start of this season after undergoing a minor operation to address an ‘irritation’ on that same knee issue.
That issue sidelined him for the first two games of the season but he was also sidelined for five games in October and November with a hamstring injury.
Jesus will have time to recover following Sunday’s meeting with Liverpool. Arsenal will not be in action again until 20 January when they host Crystal Palace.
The Gunners will be looking to bounce back after suffering three back-to-back defeats having also lost their last two in the Premier League against West Ham United and Fulham.
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