There have been positive initial signs on Gabriel Jesus’ injury after the player’s absence from last weekend’s fixture against Aston Villa.

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 07: Gabriel Jesus of Arsenal celebrates after scoring the third goal during the pre-season friendly match between Arsenal and Bayer 04 Leverkusen at Emirates Stadium on August 07, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND: Gabriel Jesus of Arsenal celebrates after scoring the third goal during the pre-season friendly match between Arsenal and Bayer 04 Leverkusen at Emirates Stadium on August 07, 2024. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

Gabriel Jesus missed out on Arsenal’s squad to face Aston Villa last weekend, with the club reporting that he had a “slight groin issue”.

Though the suggestion was that the injury wasn’t serious, Arsenal fans were still nervous. It wouldn’t be the first time Jesus has had a “minor” injury that ends up dragging on into weeks and months.

Yet the reporting hints that things aren’t quite so serious this time around.

Manchester United's Andre Onana reacts to a goal from Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus during the pre-season club friendly football match between Manchester United FC and Arsenal FC at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on July 27, 2024. (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
Manchester United’s Andre Onana reacts to a goal from Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus during the pre-season club friendly football match between Manchester United FC and Arsenal FC at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on July 27, 2024. (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

Art de Roche reported for The Athletic on Sunday that initial indications were that the injury is not serious, and that Jesus is expected to miss a relatively short period, aided by the upcoming international break.

But Mikel Arteta confirmed that Jesus would need an MRI scan to confirm the extent of the damage before they could say anything for certain.

Fabrizio Romano later reported that there were positive indications for Arsenal after their initial tests, and though more tests would follow, the Gunners were confident to have Jesus back available soon.

Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus (R) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the pre-season club friendly football match between Manchester United FC and Arsenal FC at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on July 27, 2024. (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus (R) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the pre-season club friendly football match between Manchester United FC and Arsenal FC at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on July 27, 2024. (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

From the sounds of things, there’s little chance that Jesus will be available for Brighton at the weekend, but it’s not impossible he could be back in the mix in time for the post-international-break fixtures in September.