The team doctor of the Brazilian national team has spoken out regarding the injury status of Gunners star Gabriel Jesus, with the forward called up for international duty despite being injured – with Arsenal said to be unhappy with the situation amid friction with the Brazilian FA.
In a press conference at Granja Comary, in Teresópolis, Rodrigo Lasmar, spoke regarding the situation, saying: “We have been following the player’s situation since he was injured. We have been in contact with the club’s medical department and with the athlete. He is recovering from a muscle injury in the back of his right thigh,” he said.
Asked about the progress that Jesus is making in his recovery from the injury, he said:” He is adapting on the field and the fact that we bring the player is a philosophy of Diniz to have him close, to follow the day-to-day. As soon as he arrives, he will go through all the evaluations. We’re not talking about when he’ll play, we’ve called up one more player on this list, but he’s a player who has made himself available from the beginning to present himself to the national team.”
Arsenal expected Jesus to be out until at least after the International break, with the 26-year-old not even back in training. Arteta spoke to ESPN after Saturday’s 3-1 victory against Burnley, where he issued an update on Jesus, saying: “I don’t know (how the situation is), I’m going to talk to the doctors and to him (Gabriel Jesus) because he hasn’t done any training with us. He’s far from working with the team, but it’s an internal communication between the club and the national team. The first intention is always to seek the best for the player.”
Jesus has been out for 3 weeks after hobbling off in the 2-1 away victory at Sevilla. With the injuries mounting for the Gunners, boss Mikel Arteta will be hoping that the Brazilian is not unnecessarily risked by his national team.
