Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus has travelled to South America in order to be assessed by Brazil’s medical staff.
The 26-year-old has not played since picking up a hamstring injury in the 2-1 win over Sevilla last month but his national team want to ascertain whether he could be fit to face Colombia on Friday or Argentina next Tuesday.
Martin Odegaard has withdrawn from Norway’s squad due to fitness problems. It is believed that the midfielder suffered a concussion after being hit by a ball in training.
The Arsenal captain was previously sidelined with a hip injury but there is confidence that he will be back available after the international break.
Ben White missed the 3-1 win over Burnley on Saturday due to a knock. The fullback had been carrying the injury in recent weeks and the decision was made to give him an extended rest ahead of a busy schedule over the festive period.
Updates on the fitness of six other Arsenal players
Cedric Soares missed the victory against Burnley due to illness. Gabriel Martinelli went down holding his hamstring in the closing stages of the same match, and he was replaced by Jakub Kiwior in the last 10 minutes. Like Jesus, the winger has also linked up with the Brazil squad but there are serious doubts about his fitness.
Jorginho suffered a facial injury at the weekend, but it is not expected that the Italian will be sidelined for a lengthy period, and he should be available for international duty, in addition to the Gunners’ next fixture versus Brentford.
Emile Smith Rowe sustained a knee injury before the defeat to West Ham in the Carabao Cup at the start of the month. The 23-year-old is likely to be on the treatment table for a number of weeks and a return date has been set for December.
Thomas Partey has undergone a procedure to fix a thigh problem and he won’t be back in contention until early in the New Year. Jurrien Timber remains in rehab as he recovers from an ACL injury.
