Gabriel Jesus has shared two mysterious posts on his Instagram account as Arsenal fans wait for an injury update regarding the Brazilian forward.
Jesus scored five goals across two back-to-back meetings with Crystal Palace before Christmas. It looked as though the 25-year-old might be the player to solve Mikel Arteta's striker problem. Unfortunately for the Gunners, Jesus sustained an ACL injury less than a month later and was ruled out for the rest of the season.
30 days later, Kai Havertz would suffer a hamstring injury during a training session in Dubai, ruling him out until the end of the season too. Since then, Mikel Merino has been playing as a replacement striker for Arteta who is said to be hunting for a new striker this summer.
Arsenal were six points off leaders Liverpool when Jesus was struck with his injury. Not only would the Brazilian have liked to play a part in chasing down Arne Slot's team at the top, but he would most certainly have wanted to play in Arsenal's Champions League semi-final second-leg tonight against PSG. It’s clearly been a tough period for Jesus, as suggested by his cryptic posts.
The Gunner posted two religious passages on his Instagram in Portguese. Translated to English, the first scripture read: "Why are you downcast, my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God." This is from Psalm 41:11, a passage from the Bible which highlights the importance of resilience and faith in difficult times.
Gabriel Jesus of Arsenal leaves the pitch on a stretcher
Gabriel Jesus was stretchered off against Manchester United in January (Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
The second post translated to English says: "Lord, forgive what I have been, correct what I am, and direct what I shall be." This piece of wisdom comes from Elizabeth Ann Seton, a Catholic religious sister from the United States who lived from 1774 and died 1821.
It is clear to see from these messages shared by the Gunners that the 28-year-old is looking for guidance through a difficult period. Religion plays a key role in Jesus’ life. Before his shirt number changed to No.9 in the 2019/20 season, he wore 33 in tribute to Jesus Christ who was crucified at 33.
Arteta did tease one potential surprise injury return ahead of tonight's clash with PSG in France. Jorginho had posted a pre-match graphic on his Instagram story which often means that a player will feature in the match.
The Gunners boss was not questioned on Jorginho's fitness in his press conference on Tuesday, but he did offer an update last week before Arsenal's 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth when he said: "It got a bit more complicated than expected. He's fine, he's recovering well."
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