Bukayo Saka says he’s messaged Gabriel Jesus about his injury, as Arsenal fans anxiously wait for a recovery timeline for the striker.

Gabriel Jesus picked up an injury forcing him out of the World Cup in recent days, with rumours that he could also be set to miss at least a few matches with Arsenal – and possibly many more.

Speaking to the media this week, Bukayo Saka shared his reaction to the news.

“He’s a very, very, very important player for us [Arsenal] and it’s not good to hear the news,” Saka said.

“Obviously I’ve messaged him and I think he’s going to see the doctor and see what he needs to do for the next steps.

“It’s definitely not good news when I heard that.”

Saka isn’t the first Arsenal player to give their public reaction to Jesus’ injury, with Takehiro Tomiyasu actually learning of the setback during a media interview.

It’s a disheartening update for Jesus’ teammates, though they’ll hope he won’t end up missing too much club football.

In recent days, the Brazilian media claimed Gabriel Jesus’ knee injury wouldn’t just keep him out of the World Cup, but that it would leave him on the sidelines for three months.

But the English media aren’t so sure. Sam Dean of The Telegraph reported that Arsenal sources are saying it’s still too early to say whether Jesus might be out for three months, and Charles Watts reported that neither Arsenal nor Jesus’ camp will confirm the rumours.

Other outlets suggested Jesus would see a specialist in the coming days to determine whether he needs surgery. If he does, it will be three months out. If not, he could be back sooner.

Jesus wanted to remain in Qatar with the Brazil team, but Arsenal were keen to bring him back and get this sorted out. If the striker does need surgery, the sooner the better to keep his recovery period from dragging on even longer.