Mikel Arteta has exploited a UEFA loophole to include Gabriel Jesus in his Champions League squad, replacing young talent Max Dowman. The 28-year-old Brazilian striker is back in full training after a lengthy absence due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Jesus sustained the injury during Arsenal's FA Cup third-round loss to Manchester United earlier this year.
Since then, he has been diligently rehabilitating at the Sobha Realty Training Centre and has earned a place in the matchday squads against Chelsea and Brentford. Arteta previously praised Jesus' progress, stating: "He's doing everything with the team at the moment for the last almost two weeks," and "We're going to give him some exposure as well internally with some games, so he gets that fitness. But he looks really good in training, and he's going to be a big addition to the team."
Meanwhile, Dowman has had limited opportunities to shine for Arsenal this season. The 15-year-old midfielder made a few brief appearances early on, becoming the second-youngest player in both Arsenal's and Premier League history.
Despite a short stint off the bench during the 1-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, he hasn't featured in the top flight since. Dowman recently suffered an injury while playing for the under-21s.
Ahead of Wednesday night's Champions League face-off with Club Brugge, Arsenal confirmed in a statement that Jesus has been included in the squad. The statement confirmed: "Gabriel Jesus has replaced Max Dowman on our UEFA A list with immediate effect.
"Therefore, Gabby is eligible to play in our match against Club Brugge in Belgium on Wednesday night. Max, who picked up an ankle injury playing for our under-21s on Saturday, will be added to our UEFA B list in January, but will not be permitted to play in any UEFA competitions for 60 days from today (February 6)."
Jesus was told on Monday that he wouldn't be included in the squad. But after receiving more information about Dowman's injury situation, the club reversed its decision and added the Brazilian to the squad.
Whilst Dowman faces a 60-day ban from UEFA competition, this doesn't automatically indicate his injury will sideline him for the same duration - rather, Arsenal deemed the setback serious enough to warrant Jesus's registration.
The Gunners lead the Champions League phase standings with a perfect record of five wins from five matches. Their next test comes against the Belgian outfit, who parted ways with their manager just before Tuesday's fixture.
Arsenal's full Champions League squad
Goalkeepers: David Raya, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Tommy Setford.
Defenders: William Saliba, Cristhian Mosquera, Ben White, Piero Hincapie, Gabriel, Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori.
Midfielders: Martin Odegaard, Eberechi Eze, Christian Norgaard, Leandro Trossard, Noni Madueke, Mikel Merino, Kai Havertz, Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice, Max Dowman.
Forwards: Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Viktor Gyokeres.