Arsenal will be Man City’s main title challengers this season | Football Digest
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed that Gabriel Jesus is likely to be sidelined for ‘a few weeks’ after picking up a new injury ahead of this weekend’s match against Sheffield United. Jesus has struggled to keep fit since joining the Gunners from Manchester City last year and missed the first two games of the Premier League season with a knee problem.
Jesus grabbed a goal and an assist to help Arsenal beat Sevilla in midweek but left the pitch holding his hamstring during the closing stages of the match. Arteta was pressed for an update on the forward in Friday’s press conference and was quick to confirm that he will be out for an indefinite period of at least a couple of weeks.
“The scan showed a muscle injury and we might lose him for a few weeks again,” said the Arsenal boss. “With Gabi, I cannot give you any timeframe because he always surprises us. There is something there, he felt an awkward action. He had a [heavy] load in the last few weeks with the national team. It’s really bad news for us.”
Arteta went on to deliver more bad news by explaining that Thomas Partey will also miss Saturday’s match with an injury of his own, which he sustained in Arsenal’s final training session before facing Sevilla.
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“He’s got a muscle injury and we expect him to be out for a few weeks,” added Arteta when quizzed on Partey’s condition. “We don’t know the extent of it, he has more scans today. He got in training with the last kick of the ball [before Sevilla]. Very unfortunate. It’s something different [to before].”
One player who struggled to impress against Sevilla was Martin Odegaard, who has experienced a drop-off in form over the last few weeks. The Arsenal skipper was a standout performer last season but has been unable to carry his performances into the current campaign, with questions now being asked over his continued place in the side.
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There has even been speculation that Declan Rice could take over the captaincy if Odegaard fails to improve his standards over the next few games. Arteta suggested that he has spoken to the midfielder about his lack of form behind closed doors, with the Spaniard acknowledging that he hasn’t been at his best.
“We discussed that,” he said when asked about Odegaard’s struggles. “To get to the level our front players perform is very difficult to see. It hasn’t happened in the Premier League so we need to be conscious of that. That’s about form and doing things better in certain areas to help him exploit his qualities.”
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