Gabriel Jesus, the Brazilian international striker, moved to Arsenal for a £45 million fee from Manchester City, the Premier League champions. This transfer came in 2022 following a lack of opportunities under Pep Guardiola’s management, prompting his exit from the Etihad.
Jesus, following his performances, has been called up by Brazil national team coach Fernando Diniz for the upcoming CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier fixtures, despite being sidelined from the Arsenal squad due to a hamstring injury.
Why did Gabriel Jesus get called up to the Brazil team?
The former Manchester City forward missed a handful of league matches for the Gunners due to injury concerns, managing only 363 minutes of game time in the Premier League. In contrast, in the Champions League, the striker started the first three fixtures and managed to find the back of the net in all of them.
Unfortunately, another setback hit the 26-year-old striker as he walked off the field after picking up a knock in his hamstring during the Champions League clash against Sevilla on Matchday 4, which took place on October 24th. As reported, the Brazilian was likely to be sidelined for a month, resulting in him missing four recent fixtures in all competitions.
Now, the question arises: why was Gabriel Jesus called up for national team duty in the first place despite nursing a hamstring problem and being absent from recent Arsenal matches? He flew to South America to join the Brazil team camp ahead of their upcoming fixtures against Colombia and Argentina, respectively.
According to FIFA rules, national teams have the right to conduct their own tests on injured players to assess their conditions. Thus, Brazil has called the 26-year-old for further examinations. It is also reported that he will return to London following the check-up by the Brazilian medical team.
Gabriel Jesus latest injury update
During the start of the season, the £45 million forward missed the first three league matches due to a knee problem before sustaining a hamstring injury that further sidelined him. As per journalist Chris Wheatley, Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar has provided an update on Jesus’s condition and also confirmed that they are working closely with the Arsenal medical team in the case of the player.
Lasmar stated, “We have maintained contact with the club’s medical department and the athlete. He is recovering from a muscle injury to the back of his right thigh. I’ll talk to the doctors and Edu. He did not do any training with the team, is far from returning, and has internal communication between clubs and national teams,” addressing reporters regarding Jesus’s condition.
Do you think Gabriel Jesus should be playing for Brazil given his injury concerns? Tell us in the comments section.
