Mikel Arteta has now not only lost his side’s FA Cup dreams but also in-form striker Gabriel Jesus, in last Sunday’s encounter with old foes Manchester United.
The 27-year-old Brazilian talisman, who seemed to have gotten his lost touch back in recent weeks, got injured during the FA Cup third-round loss to United. It was a collision with Manchester United captain and goalscorer Bruno Fernandes, which forced him out of play before half-time.
The injury looked serious in the first place, as he had to be taken off the field on a stretcher. To make things worse for Arteta, who was already without his main weapon Bukayo Saka alongside Ben White, Jesus’ injury has now been revealed to be a massive one — ACL tear in his left knee.
The official club statement read: “Further to being substituted with an injury during our match with Manchester United on Sunday, Gabriel Jesus has received extensive assessments, scans and specialist reviews which have confirmed that he has sustained an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
“Gabby will undergo surgery in the coming days and will soon begin his recovery and rehabilitation programme.
“We will continue to keep everyone updated with Gabby’s recovery, with everyone at the club fully focused on supporting Gabby to ensure he is back to full fitness as soon as possible.”
Jesus smashed 16pts against Palace in GW17 and 19pts in the match with Brentford in GW19. He had the trust of 5% of the FPL managers. But his Fantasy Premier League 2024-25 season appears more than over.
Usually, in case of an ACL injury, one needs six to seven months to get cured followed by another couple of months for full recovery. Hence, we are unlikely to see Gabriel Jesus(£6.9m) anymore in action, for the remainder of the season.
While Arsenal actively explores the January transfer market to get him replaced, here’s our top pick to substitute him in your fantasy team.
Chris Wood(£6.8m)
Wood is one of the major revelations of this season’s FPL, with 13 goals already in his pocket. He continues his fine form, having scored 20pts in the last two matches.
Nottingham Forest has a plum fixture in GW22, as they host bottom-placed Southampton after the Liverpool hurdle in GW21. His schedule looks great till gameweek 25.
