Gabriel Jesus ultimately didn’t need the knee surgery he expected to have this summer, giving him the chance to get fully fit for the new season.
Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus celebrates after scoring a goal during the pre-season club friendly football match between Manchester United FC and Arsenal FC at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on July 27, 2024. (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
Speaking earlier this year, Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus suggested that he might need surgery over the summer. The uncertainty over his fitness led to his exclusion from Brazil’s Copa America squad, and he was expecting a summer of rehabilitation.
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Yet Simon Collings reports for The Standard that it was ultimately decided Jesus didn’t need the surgery, and the forward could instead focus on getting fully fit.
He spent time back with Palmeiras training, before joining Arsenal’s unofficial early training camp in Marbella.
Now he’s fit and firing in the Gunners’ early pre-season friendlies, scoring and setting up a goal against Leyton Orient before scoring another against Manchester United.
Manchester United’s Andre Onana reacts to a goal from Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus during the pre-season club friendly football match between Manchester United FC and Arsenal FC at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on July 27, 2024. (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
“My last pre-season was not good because I was feeling my knee, so I had to have surgery and missed all of the pre-season,” Jesus told Arsenal.com.
“So, I was trying to force it during that pre-season, but at the end I couldn’t and had surgery.
“That was a little bit difficult after to come back, but this season is different. I could enjoy my holidays and then I trained a lot, and I was focused to come back well and do a good pre-season. Now I’m in different shape and can play football again.”
Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus (C) celebrates with Martin Odegaard (2nd R) and teammates after scoring a goal during the pre-season club friendly football match between Manchester United FC and Arsenal FC at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on July 27, 2024. (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
Jesus’ levels certainly appeared to drop in 2023/24, at least in the Premier League. After scoring 11 and assisting six league goals in his first Arsenal campaign, he only scored four and assisted five in his second.
That was somewhat balanced by his Champions League exploits, with the Brazilian contributing to seven goals in eight European fixtures last season.
But he needs to find some consistency domestically if he’s going to win back a starting spot in 2024/25. The summer appears to have set him up well to find that regularity.
