Arsenal star Gabriel Jesus admits that his pre-season op left him feeling “s***” for 24 hours. But barely a month later, he is delighted to be back on the goal trail.
The Arsenal striker suffered an injury playing for Brazil in the World Cup back in December and underwent an operation that kept him out for more than three months. He made his first steps towards recovery at the end of the last campaign and was looking forward to a fresh start this season. Then disaster began to creep up on him.
“At the end of last season I was completely fine, I felt nothing.” Jesus recalled. “I felt it once since I came back in March, in a training session during the last minute. Then the day after I was OK and I finished the season fine, playing well. I went on holiday and felt nothing. When I came back, in the first week, still nothing. It was after that I started to feel it.
“Me personally I’m good with pain, I was keeping playing and training. I was feeling it a little bit but for me it was nothing. But then we hit a point when I couldn’t run or move. For me, it was [a case of], ‘If I’m not 100%, I won’t be myself’. I was trying. So I decided to do a surgery and that was it.”
Jesus went under the knife again as his team-mates were preparing for the Community Shield clash with Manchester City and the 26-year-old admits he found it hard at first.
“The first day is s*** when you find out,” he said. “But the day after you realise you have to keep going, fighting and smiling. Because I have a life. God’s given me a life, God let me wake up every morning so I have to be grateful. So I’m blessed.
“I can walk, I can be here, I can smile. So nothing to complain about. Just believe in good and keep fighting. It was tough but now I’m getting back. It’s so important to find the rhythm again. So I’m back, I feel good and I’m happy.”
Arsenal are relieved that common sense has prevailed and Jesus has not been called up for Brazil’s two World Cup qualifiers in South America against Bolivia and Peru so he can focus on building up his general strength.
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Despite his goal from the bench against Manchester United on Sunday, it seems he will need it all after team-mate Eddie Nketiah made such a good fist of deputising from him that he has forced his way into Gareth Southgate’s thinking for the current England squad.
“First of all, competition is always good – for me and for him,” Jesus said. “From day one, I’m a big fan of Eddie because of the way he works and the way he trains is amazing.
“It’s not easy to come from the academy at a massive club and fight to play in the first team. Congrats to him, he’s doing so well and he deserves to be called in the England national team. For me personally, it’s good competition. It’s always good for the club because for sure he’s making me better and I’m making him better as well.”
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