- Gabriel Jesus suffered a serious knee injury in Sunday’s match vs Man United
- His team-mates paid tribute to him ahead of kick-off on Wednesday night
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Arsenal players paid tribute to their team-mate Gabriel Jesus ahead of their north London derby with Tottenham on Wednesday.
Jesus was stretchered off in the first half of Sunday’s FA Cup penalty shootout defeat by Manchester United, and it was confirmed on Tuesday that he has suffered an ACL injury.
The Brazilian striker has been ruled out for the rest of the season, but his team-mates wanted to show that they were thinking of him prior to one of their biggest games of the season.
Mail Sport exclusively revealed earlier on Wednesday that a tribute was being planned, and Arsenal duly took to the pitch wearing shirts carrying Jesus’ name, his squad number 9 and a get well soon message. The message read: ‘Stay strong Gabby’.
Jesus’ injury had been confirmed in a club statement on Tuesday night that 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.
Arsenal players took to the pitch wearing shirts that paid tribute to Gabriel Jesus
They lined up ahead of kick-off with shirts that read ‘Stay strong Gabby’
Jesus has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a serious knee injury
‘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.’
His injury is a major blow for the Gunners as Jesus had just found form after a slow start to the season.
He scored five goals in three days against Crystal Palace last month, and had looked set to play a key role for the remainder of the season.
Arsenal will now need to cope without him, while they are also currently without their talisman Bukayo Saka after he picked up a hamstring injury.
The England international is not expected to return to action until March.
