Brazil coach Fernando Diniz has backed his decision to invite Gabriel Jesus to the national team camp for the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers despite amidst recovery from injury.
A lot must have gone on behind the scenes between Diniz and Mikel Arteta due to the decision to call up the striker, who has sit out of Arsenal’s five previous games before the international break.
Jesus picked up a hamstring injury in the final minutes of Arsenal’s UEFA Champions League win away in Seville and Arteta never declared a date he is expected to return.
Speaking ahead of the club’s 5-0 win over Sheffield United late October, Arteta said he does not know when the Brazilian will return as he had once predicted in the past but things went wrong.
When asked if Jesus should play in Brazil’s upcoming World Cup Qualifiers: ‘I don’t know. I’m going to talk to the doctors and Gabriel because he didn’t do any training with us.
‘He’s far from working with the team, but it’s an internal communication between the club and the national team. The first intention is always to seek the best for the player.’ he concluded.
Jesus has traveled down to Brazil for the upcoming games against Colombia and Argentina and Diniz has defender his ‘controversial decision’ to extend invitation to the player, who has featured for almost a month.
“About Gabriel [Jesus], my whole life’s work is not a concern in this sense with Arsenal or the national team,” Diniz said in an interview ahead of the meeting with Colombia in Barranquilla on Friday.
“My concern is Gabriel. We brought him here for some reasons and that it was important to him. He was one of the players who even playing a match for us below our level in Uruguay, he managed to make a positive impact on the game, very difficult game but he got there.”
Brazil had a time to forget in the October break, when they failed to win either of their two games, including a 2-0 loss to Uruguay, their first in a FIFA World Cup qualifier since 2015.
“Play well, sustain position and create difficulty sometimes even kind of individually against Uruguay, I trust the player and him being here I take satisfaction.
Diniz continued; “I talked to Gabriel and he didn’t come here without planning. He said he’s feeling good, he’s already doing certain things, and when I spoke to him we had two more weeks, ten days at least till the first game [against Colombia] and fifteen days ’til the second one [against Argentina].
He is in good condition, we are doing things with great care. As soon as he arrived we made a new MRI we [are] treating him very carefully.” He added.
With Neymar out injured, Brazil needs experience and leadership in the attack Jesus offers that. Arsenal however will hope the striker returns to the club without a consequences of playing with injury.
Hassan Afolabi
