Mikel Arteta confirms Gabriel Jesus had a ‘procedure’ on his knee before missing Arsenal’s Emirates Cup triumph against Monaco – and expects the Brazilian to be out for a few weeks

Gabriel Jesus will be out for several weeks following “surgery” on his knee, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta confirmed on Wednesday.

The Brazilian striker missed out on Arsenal’s Emirates Cup triumph against Monaco as a result and watched from the sidelines as his side finished off the thrilling friendly 5-4 on penalties.

Eddie Nketiah, who can now lead Arsenal at the start of the Premier League season, canceled Youssouf Fofana’s opener for Monaco just before half-time, sending Gabriel Martinelli’s well-placed cross into the penalty area.

The Gunners face Manchester City in the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday and Arteta revealed after the game that they will miss their star striker.

He said, ‘Unfortunately he had a minor procedure this morning. He had some discomfort in his knee which was causing some problems and he had to go in and fix it.

“It’s not a big deal, but I think he’ll be out for a few weeks. It’s a big blow because we were working to get him back to his best – the way he played against Barcelona and he was in good shape. Now we’ve lost him.

“He’s been feeling some discomfort for the past few weeks and we had to look at it and make a decision. The best thing is to protect the player and get him back as soon as possible.’

Jesus missed much of last season after undergoing knee surgery following an injury sustained during the World Cup with Brazil.

In total, the striker missed 12 Premier League games before returning to action in early March. Despite his comeback, Arsenal’s title fight collapsed as the north London club took just 12 points from their last nine games of the season.

Arteta revealed that Jesus’ knee problems are related to the surgery he underwent last campaign.

“It has to do with the previous injury he had and the surgery,” Arteta added. “He had some irritation in the knee and we had to fix that.”

Arsenal will begin their Premier League campaign at home to Nottingham Forest on August 12.

Jesus scored 11 goals and provided eight assists in 33 appearances in all competitions in his debut season with the Emirates.

During the pre-season duel with Monaco, Fabio Vieira, Martinelli and Nketiah were initially selected in Arteta’s front three, while Declan Rice made his home debut.