Takehiro Tomiyasu and Bukayo Saka have both wished Arsenal teammate Gabriel Jesus well after his World Cup was ended by a knee injury.
Jesus joined the Gunners from Manchester City for £45million last summer.
He has been superb this season as Mikel Arteta’s side sit top of the Premier League.
The 25-year-old picked up the injury against Cameroon in Brazil’s final group game and after initial reports suggested he would be out for a month, it is now said he could miss three months of action.
After news of Jesus’ knee injury broke, it was revealed that he has complained about knee issues all season.
And tellingly, Tomiyasu asked if it was a knee injury when he found out the Brazilian striker’s World Cup was over.
“He has got injured? Jesus? Oh, I didn’t know that, really?” Tomiyasu asked a reporter.
“Because I watched only the first half (of Cameroon vs Brazil). So he got injured in the second half?
“Is it bad?”
When told he will not play again at the World Cup, Tomiyasu worryingly said: “Where is it? Knees?
“It’s a shame, because obviously to play in a World Cup is a big dream for us, for every football player,” he added.
“So I’m sorry for him, but hopefully he will be back soon.”
It is now evident the Brazil striker has complained about a knee problem this season, and it is definitely concerning he has suffered a sufficient injury to that part of the body.
England winger Saka said he messaged Jesus after hearing about the news and is obviously hopeful his Arsenal teammate’s injury is not serious.
“He’s a very, very, very important player for us [Arsenal] and it’s not good to hear the news,” Saka told the media on Monday.
“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.”
The 21-year-old is preparing for England’s World Cup quarter-final against France this weekend.
He scored as the Three Lions beat Senegal 3-0, making it three goals in as many games.
And Saka believes England have nothing to fear when they take on the reigning champions on Saturday.
“If you look at our first four games, we had three clean sheets,” the youngster said. “That shows how solid we are at the back and we have scored the most goals as well.
“I feel we have just got to prepare the best gameplan and go there with confidence. We are playing really good right now.
“There is no doubt about the quality we have in our team. We are blessed with an amazing front line. There is so much quality attacking players.
“When you are selected, it shows how much confidence the boss has in you so that gives you that extra confidence to go out and shine. Last night we were able to do that.”
Saka was one of the players to miss from the spot when England were defeated on penalties by Italy in the Euro 2020 final.
That experience was a difficult one for the Arsenal forward but he feels he has come through it well and feels confident enough to take another penalty should it be necessary.
The 21-year-old said: “Obviously, I have matured and progressed a lot since that moment. I wouldn’t have stepped up the number of times I have for Arsenal if I was not confident.
“If the moment comes and I am selected to take it, I will be more than happy to.”
Raheem Sterling has left the England camp to return home following a break-in at his home.
Saka said: “He wished us the best yesterday as he was going back. I’ve messaged him and hopefully he’ll get back to me later. I just hope he and his family are OK.”
READ MORE: England record against reigning world champions does not bode well for France quarter-final
