October 27, (THEWILL) – Arsenal’s English Premier League title charge has again been rocked by the news that striker Gabriel Jesus could face up to a month on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury.
The Brazil international was forced off during the Gunners’ 2-1 UEFA Champions League victory over Sevilla on Tuesday night and scans have since confirmed he will be out of action for a number of weeks. It is the second injury layoff this season for Jesus, who also missed the start of the campaign after undergoing knee surgery in the summer.
The 25-year-old has been a key player for Arsenal since joining from Manchester City. This season, after returning to the starting lineup, he has scored one goal in seven appearances in the League for the Red Side of London.
Manager Mikel Arteta has responded to the injury crisis by calling for EPL clubs to be allowed bigger squads and more substitutes per match. “If we have more games, more competitiveness and physically the standards are higher then we have to do that or instead of five subs, have 10,” said the Spaniard.
Arteta believes increasing squad sizes from 25 and enabling 10 substitutions instead of five would help protect player welfare amid a gruelling schedule with injuries to key players affecting other teams in England’s top flight.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
