Football News: Arsenal suffers major injury blow ahead of the Premier League opener

Arsenal have disclosed that Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus has a knee problem after being left out of their Emirates Cup squad.

The former Manchester City man was notably absent from the team sheet for the match against Monaco on Wednesday evening, with Eddie Nketiah chosen to lead the line.

Jesus has been a frequent member of Arsenal's XI throughout their summer friendlies, appearing in four games and scoring one goal in their 5-0 thrashing of MLS All-Stars.

The 26-year-old played 79 minutes of Arsenal's final USA tour victory over Barcelona last week before being substituted by Nketiah, but the Gunners have now announced that he has suffered another injury.

Arsenal did not specify how long Jesus is likely to be out, but the forward's condition will be evaluated further. While as per the current speculations the Arsenal forward might miss a couple of weeks.

Thus, he might miss Sunday's Community Shield match against Man City and their PL opener against Nottingham Forest.

With a knee injury incurred at the World Cup, Jesus missed a significant portion of the 2022-23 season, missing a total of 15 games between December and March.

Despite his lengthy absence, Jesus achieved a good 11 goals and seven assists in 26 games during his debut season in North London, helping Arsenal return to the Champions League.

Mikel Arteta has previously dealt with a slew of fitness issues in preseason, while Jesus' teammate striker Folarin Balogun is also out due to a foot injury.

Left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko is also rehabilitating from his last groyne injury, and Reiss Nelson has been out with a toe injury but should be back soon.

Meanwhile, midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga missed Arsenal's US tour due to a muscle issue, but the Belgian is being linked with a loan transfer to Premier League newcomers Burnley.

On a positive note, Declan Rice has recovered from a knock to make his first Emirates start, joining Thomas Partey and Emile Smith Rowe in the Arsenal midfield, who will play from the start for the first time since May 2022.

Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka have been named on the bench, while Fabio Vieira and Gabriel Martinelli assist Nketiah in the final third, while Jurrien Timber makes his Emirates debut at right back.

Despite Zinchenko's absence, Kierney stays on the bench, with Takehiro Tomiyasu joining Timber, Jakub Kiwior, and William Saliba in front of Aaron Ramsdale.

Arsenal defeated Sevilla 6-0 to claim their sixth Emirates Cup championship in 2022, although they were defeated 1-0 by Monaco in the 2014 edition.

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