Gabriel Jesus is putting the work in to overcome his knee injury that will see him miss the remainder of the season for Arsenal. He needed surgery after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament blow and is now on the road to recovery.
His prolonged absence, coupled with Bukayo Saka also being ruled out until at least March, has left Mikel Arteta short of options in attack. Despite this, Arsenal chose against buying a new forward in the January window.
The only player they really tried to sign for the now - discounting an attempt to bring in talented Norway midfielder Sverre Nypan - was Ollie Watkins. A bid worth £40million was tabled for him last week but was quickly shot down.
Watkins would have acted as cover and immediate replacement for Jesus, who will now not be back until the start of next season at the earliest. At 29, Arsenal were keen to test Aston Villa's resolve over Watkins but never made a second bid having learned of their intention to sell Jhon Duran to Al Nassr.
Arsenal will now pursue a number of strikers in the summer as the search for long-term reinforcement up front. Jesus, who can play off the right wing as well, will have added competition for his place when he does get back.
Ethan Nwaneri, used as an auxiliary winger in recent weeks before his own injury setback, will also provide Arteta with options. The focus for Jesus will be overcoming yet another period out.
He has had a troubled time of things over the past 18 months. The Brazilian is remaining in good spirits regardless of his struggles. On Wednesday morning, prior to the Carabao Cup semi-final second-leg for his teammates away at Newcastle United, he posted online, offering an update on his recovery.
From what appears to be a pressure chamber, Jesus added to his Instagram story with a mask over his face. Resting with his head on a pillow, the forward is undergoing part of his rehabilitation process.
The theory behind Jesus' chamber is to breathe in pure oxygen. This can help speed up recovery with a high concentration of oxygen, reducing inflammation and promoting tissue regeneration.
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