Arsenal faces a tense situation as Brazil considers starting Gabriel Jesus against Argentina, despite concerns over his recent hamstring injury.

This decision by Brazil’s coach Fernando Diniz challenges Arsenal’s hope for Jesus’ continued recovery in London.

Brazil’s decision to potentially start Gabriel Jesus in their crucial World Cup qualifier against Argentina on Tuesday is likely to cause consternation at Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta, the Gunners’ manager, has previously voiced concerns over the fitness of Jesus, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since October.

Jesus, 26, has been recovering from the injury picked up during Arsenal’s 2-1 Champions League win against Sevilla last month. Despite Arsenal’s preference for Jesus to remain in London for his recovery, Brazil coach Fernando Diniz called him up for the international fixtures against Colombia and Argentina.

Brazilian outlet Globo Esporte, citing The Sun, reports that Jesus is ‘set to start’ against Argentina.

This development follows injuries to key Brazilian forwards Neymar Jr and Vinicius Jr. Neymar suffered a torn ACL in October, possibly sidelining him for the season, while Vinicius left the field with a thigh injury during the loss to Colombia and is returning to Spain for treatment.

Diniz has options like 17-year-old Endrick of Real Madrid and Brighton’s Joao Pedro, with Richarlison also unavailable due to recent surgery.

However, the decision to potentially field Jesus is significant, given his limited participation for Arsenal this season due to injuries.

According to Mail Sport, Jesus, who has scored four goals in all competitions for Arsenal this season, will be assessed by Brazil’s medical team before any decision on his participation is made.

Arsenal’s technical director Edu is in contact with Brazil’s staff regarding Jesus’ fitness.

Arteta has been cautious about rushing Jesus back to action, stating in a press conference, “With him [Jesus], I’m honestly not going to give [a timeframe]. I did it once and got it totally wrong. We need to be cautious because we need to treat it in the right way.”

Arteta added, “He’s already pushing everybody and wants to be back as quickly as possible, and we need him, so that’s great.” However, the potential of Jesus starting against Argentina could be a source of concern for Arsenal.

Diniz has also indicated that Jesus’ trip to join the Brazil national team was a mutual decision, saying, “I trust the player and him being here. I talked to Gabriel and he didn’t come here without planning. He said he is feeling good and was already doing things ten days before the first game and 15 days before the second game.”

Diniz continued, “We thought it was an interesting risk to bring him here. He is in good condition. We are doing things with great care. As soon as he arrived, we gave him a new MRI scan. We are treating him very carefully. If he is in the right condition, he will be available against Argentina.”