ARSENAL have paid tribute to crocked star Gabriel Jesus ahead of the North London derby by wearing shirts with his name on and revealing a mural.
Jesus, 27, suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during the Gunners FA Cup third round penalty defeat to Manchester United on Sunday.
GettyArsenal wore special shirts with Gabriel Jesus’ number on the back[/caption]
PAJesus suffered a season-ending ACL injury in Sunday’s defeat to Manchester United[/caption]
GettyHe was stretchered off in the first half of the FA Cup tie[/caption]
PAA mural for Jesus was unveiled outside of the Emirates Stadium[/caption]
The forward was stretchered off the pitch at the Emirates in the first-half of the clash after going to the floor after losing his footing following a push in the back of Bruno Fernandes.
Jesus was replaced by Raheem Sterling, before it was announced he had suffered an ACL blow on his left knee that will see him miss the rest of the season.
Ahead of the crunch match with arch-rivals Tottenham, Mikel Arteta‘s side wore shirts with the name “G. Jesus” alongside his squad number, 9, as they shook hands with their rivals.
The shirt featured a get well soon message on the back which said: “Stay strong Gabby”.
A mural for Jesus was also unveiled outside of the Emirates Stadium by artist Northbanksy.
He is said to be a very popular figure within the Arsenal squad, having first joined from Manchester City in 2022.
Jesus had scored seven goals and added two from 27 games in all competitions this season.
A statement from the club announcing his injury said: “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.”
The injury of Jesus adds to the absences of talisman Bukayo Saka and wonderkid Ethan Nwaneri in attack.
Sterling was named in the starting XI for the clash, partnering Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard in attack.
