Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus has reportedly emerged as a fresh doubt for Sunday's FA Cup third-round clash with Liverpool due to a knee injury.
The Brazil international has been no stranger to such problems since joining the Gunners from Manchester City in 2022, having missed three months of last season with the issue he sustained at the World Cup.
Jesus was then forced to undergo another procedure on his knee over the summer, although he did not endure such a long layoff that time around, only missing the Community Shield and Arsenal's first two Premier League games of the new season.
Since battling back from his second knee problem, the 26-year-old has struck seven goals and provided three assists in 21 matches for Arsenal in all tournaments this term, although he was also hampered by a hamstring injury between October and November.
Having been benched for last weekend's 2-1 loss to Fulham in the top flight, Jesus would have been expected to return to the starting lineup over Eddie Nketiah for the cup showdown with Liverpool, but according to the Daily Mail, his participation has been plunged into doubt.
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The report states that the South American attacker is now nursing a fresh knee problem, and while it is still unclear how severe his issue is, Arsenal are hoping that he will not be sidelined for the long-term.
Should Jesus indeed sit out the visit of the Reds, Nketiah would lead the line as Mikel Arteta's only senior central option, although Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard could also be shoe-horned into a centre-forward role.
Arsenal's attacking absences and recent shortcomings in front of goal have led to Gooners crying out for an offensive signing in the January transfer window, with Brentford's Ivan Toney still believed to be at the top of their shortlist.
However, the Bees are expected to demand at least £100m to let the England international depart midway through the season, a price tag which would prove too steep for Arsenal to fork out this month as they tread carefully around Financial Fair Play regulations.
Jesus could be one of seven possible absentees for Arsenal this weekend, as Jurrien Timber (ACL), Fabio Vieira (groin) and Thomas Partey (thigh) are also guaranteed to miss the visit of the Reds, while Oleksandr Zinchenko (calf) is a doubt.
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Arteta revealed at his pre-game press conference that Zinchenko was making good progress and would be assessed ahead of the third-round encounter, but fellow full-back Takehiro Tomiyasu is away with Japan at the Asian Cup, while Egypt's Mohamed Elneny is on Africa Cup of Nations duty.
However, should Zinchenko fail to make the cut, Arteta would be without a single out-and-out left-back for Sunday's affair, likely leading to another start for Jakub Kiwior in the wide area.
Liverpool have unwanted selection concerns of their own to work around, as Mohamed Salah and Wataru Endo are also away on international duty, while all of Dominik Szoboszlai (hamstring), Thiago Alcantara (hip), Stefan Bajcetic (calf), Andrew Robertson (shoulder), Kostas Tsimikas (collarbone), Joel Matip (ACL) and Ben Doak (knee) are injured.
Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by Liverpool at Anfield in December's Premier League clash, but they have won their last three FA Cup ties against the Reds, most recently triumphing 2-1 at the Emirates in the 2013-14 fifth round en route to the trophy.
Ben Knapton
