Thousands of FPL users are taking Gabriel Jesus out of their Fantasy Premier League team after Mikel Arteta provided an update on his fitness ahead of the new campaign.
Arsenal concluded their pre-season fixture list on Wednesday with a penalty shoot-out win against Ligue 1 outfit Monaco. As a result, the Gunners retained the Emirates Cup.
They will take part in one more game before their Premier League opener against Nottingham Forest on August 12 – a tasty clash against Manchester City in the Community Shield.
Advert
But an injury blow to star forward Gabriel Jesus, just two weeks ahead of the new season, has made a serious dent in their preparations.
The 26-year-old Brazilian forward was left out of the Arsenal squad to face Monaco, and manager Mikel Arteta went on to explain his absence in a post-match interview.
“Unfortunately he had a little procedure this morning," he said.
Advert
"He’s had some discomfort in his knee that caused him some issues, so they had to go in [for surgery]. He’s going to be out for a few weeks."
Arteta added: "A big blow because we had him back to his best, especially with the way he played against Barcelona and he was in good condition but unfortunately we lost him.
"We had to look at it and we had to make a decision and the best one is to protect the player and get him back as quick as possible. We decided to do it.
"It’s something related to the previous injury he had and the surgery. He had some irritation in the knee and we had to get it resolved."
Advert
Jesus is expected to miss the first few weeks of the Premier League campaign, with suggestions that he could miss games against Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace.
And as a result of his knee injury, thousands of FPL users have decided to take the Brazilian out of their team ahead of Gameweek 1.
Jesus' ownership went from 31.4 per cent on Wednesday night to 25.7 per cent on Thursday morning after the news emerged surrounding his knee issue.
Advert
After missing 15 matches last season through another knee issue, plenty of FPL users decided to transfer him out of their team.
Here's how social media reacted.
One fan said: "Gabriel Jesus set to be out for “a few weeks” after having surgery on his knee. Time to rip up your FPL teams," while another commented: "Gabriel Jesus owners in the mud."
A third wrote: "Gabriel Jesus causing panic amongst #FPL teams before the season even starts. Thankfully, Ollie Watkins is an easy replacement. But Jesus was the easiest way to bring have an Arsenal player."
Advert
A fourth added: "If Gabriel Jesus is injured everyone will just get Nkunku or Jackson and have even more money to spend."
Will you take Jesus out of your Fantasy Premier League team? If so, who will you replace him with?
Let us know in the comments.
Featured Image Credit: Getty/FPLTopics: Gabriel Jesus, Arsenal, Fantasy Football, Fantasy Premier League
