Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus admitted that he may need surgery at the end of the season after opening up about how he rarely plays without pain. The Brazilian has been sidelined throughout the current season with knee and hamstring issues, but has returned in order to play a part as the Gunners aim for Premier League and Champions League glory.
Shortly before Mikel Arteta’s outfit take on Bayern Munich in the first leg of their European quarter-final, Jesus claimed that pain in his knee may force him to cancel plans to play in Copa America this summer for his country, to go under the knife.
The 27-year-old feels that he can compete for his club until the end of the season, in a major boost for a healthy Arsenal squad boosted by several recent returns, but insisted that his participation for Brazil this summer is in doubt due to a potential upcoming surgery.
“In my best moment, one of my best moments in my career, I went to a World Cup and ended up getting injured and today I still have these little problems with my knee,” Jesus told TNT Sports Brazil. “Today I have a different mindset, today I think I have to look after myself a lot too, take care of myself, because if I’m 100 per cent I’ll help and if I’m not, I won’t help.
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“So, obviously, I always want to be available for the national team and we want to be called up, we want to be there. Obviously, I want to play in another Copa America, I want to win, I want to conquer, I don’t know, we’ll see.
“I honestly don’t know if my knee will be good enough to be available, but it’s still three months away, so we’ll see what happens. Even here at Arsenal there are things that you have to hold on to, go, train, play, train today, don’t train, play, in short, it’s difficult, but I intend to, my desire is always to be available for both Arsenal and the national team.
“It doesn’t matter if, at the end of the season, I have to open up my knee and correct what’s getting in the way and end up missing out on a chance to play in the Copa America.”
Jesus’ World Cup ended prematurely after he needed to return to Arsenal from Qatar for knee surgery, a procedure that he may be required to undergo again, despite playing with pain since that treatment.
“I’m just trying to get fit and help Arsenal as much as I can,” he said on Monday. “Unfortunately, I’ve had some problems this season and I hope next season I don’t have those.
“Sometimes I feel it (pain in his knee). I don’t remember the last day I played football without pain so I cannot complain. I’m just trying to recover well and then that’s it. Mentally I try to keep strong in my mind.”
