Gabriel Jesus is currently sidelined with injury (Photo: Getty)
Arsenal star Gabriel Jesus has been named in the Brazil squad for the November international break despite being sidelined with injury.
Jesus picked up a hamstring injury during Arsenal’s Champions League win over Sevilla in October and recent reports suggested the striker wouldn’t be back on the pitch until December.
Ahead of last weekend’s loss at Newcastle, Mikel Arteta suggested it would be ‘weeks’ before the 26-year-old recovered, meaning he would at the very least miss their last two fixtures before the last international break of the year.
The Gunners host Sevilla on Wednesday night before a Premier League clash against Burnley at the Emirates on Saturday.
However, on Monday, Jesus was surprisingly named in Brazil’s squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Argentina.
Arsenal teammates Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli were also called up by Fernando Diniz.
This would suggest that Jesus’ recovery is ahead of schedule, which is a massive boost for the Gunners after losing momentum in the title race.
Brazil want Jesus to lead the line with Neymar unavailable (Photo: Getty)
However, the Daily Mail report that Arsenal do not want their No.9 to go on international duty and would prefer he stay in North London to continue his rehabilitation, with fears a speedy return to action will cause another injury.
Conversely, Brazil are desperate to have the forward lead their line in the absence of talisman Neymar, even though they also have the likes of Martinelli, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo at their disposal.
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To date, Jesus has 19 goals in 63 caps for his country, though has scored just four goals this season for his club, and only one in the league.
Brazil have made a poor start to their qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup, having won just two of their first four games, and are currently third in the table behind Argentina and Uruguay.
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It was thought the 26-year-old wouldn’t be back until December.