ARSENAL fans woke up to the news they had been dreading this week when it was confirmed that star striker Gabriel Jesus is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

The forward was ruled out of the remainder of the World Cup with a knee injury after limping off during Brazil’s group stage defeat against Cameroon on Friday.

Arsenal then confirmed on Tuesday that the 25-year-old has already had an operation and is starting his recovery. The club are not putting a timescale on his return as of yet, but there are growing reports that Jesus could be out of action for up to three months.

Even if that timeframe is excessive, Jesus still looks certain to miss the trip to Tottenham and the home game against Manchester United in January, while a busy set of fixtures in February includes the Gunners hosting title rivals Manchester City.

An Arsenal statement read: “Gabriel Jesus has successfully undergone surgery to his right knee after suffering an injury during the Brazil versus Cameroon World Cup group stage match on Friday. Gabby will now begin his rehabilitation programme. Everyone at the club is supporting Gabby and will be working hard to get him back on the pitch as soon as possible.”

On paper Jesus has only scored five goals for Arsenal since joining the club in the summer. But his overall impact on the team has been priceless as he has also chipped in with six assists – and is seen as the driving force behind the Gunners’ new-found energy.

The injury is a real problem for the Premier League leaders, who restart their season on Boxing Day when they entertain West Ham at the Emirates Stadium. The only recognised striker Mikel Arteta will have at his disposal for that match is now Eddie Nketiah, although Gabriel Martinelli can also play in a centre-forward role if required. Martinelli is still with the Brazil squad in Qatar so the Gunners boss will be keeping his fingers crossed that he doesn’t have any more injuries to contend with.

One option circulating is that Arsenal could be tempted to recall on-loan striker Folarin Balogun, who is enjoying a positive spell with Ligue 1 side Reims where he has netted eight goals. While it is thought that Arteta and Arsenal are reluctant to disrupt Balogun’s spell in France, they will need cover for Nketiah with FA Cup and Europa League demands set to add to an already busy fixture list.

Meanwhile, Arsenal will ramp up their post-World Cup preparations this afternoon (Thursday) when they take on French side Lyon in the Dubai Super Cup. Kick-off is 3.30pm UK time. They will then play AC Milan on Tuesday.