When Gabriel Jesus joined Arsenal two years ago, Mikel Arteta described him as a player who “changed our world”.

Now, after a difficult season, it feels like the world is changing around Jesus, and he is fighting for his place in this Arsenal side.

Injuries have hit the Brazilian hard, to the extent he has started just 17 Premier League games this season. It is the lowest amount Jesus has managed since the 2018-19 season, when he was playing for Manchester City, and even then he still scored seven goals, despite making only seven starts.

This season the 27-year-old has scored just four goals in the league and, unless he finds the net three times in the final two games, it will be his worst return since moving to England in 2017.

Jesus will be hard pushed to start either Arsenal’s trip to Old Trafford on Sunday or their final game of the season, at home to Everton next week, because Kai Havertz has been in such brilliant form.

The German has established himself as Arsenal’s main striker since the turn of the year and, with the title on the line, Arteta is unlikely to pivot away from that.

Havertz has capitalised on Jesus being hampered by knee issues. The Brazilian first injured his knee at the 2022 World Cup and it has caused him problems since. He underwent surgery and was forced to go under the knife again at the end of pre-season last summer.

After scoring the winner at Nottingham Forest in January, Jesus was out of action until March and admitted last month he has been playing in pain.

The striker also refused to rule out the prospect of further surgery this summer, meaning he would be unable to play in the Copa America for Brazil.

Surgery and a full pre-season could be just what Jesus needs because, when he is fully fit, there is no denying he is a valuable asset.

Arteta gave Jesus his backing last week and was bullish about reports that he could be sold this summer. Asked if Arsenal have any intention of letting Jesus go, Arteta replied: “No. I don’t know where this is coming from.”

Jesus still has three years left on the contract he signed in 2022, when he joined Arsenal from City for around £45million. The striker is settled at the club, where he is one of the top earners, and is determined to fight for his place.

For Arsenal, that shows the scale of their evolution under Arteta. When Jesus joined, he walked into the team and transformed their attack. Now, he is not guaranteed to start and, if the Gunners want to close the gap on City, a situation where Jesus is having to make an impact off the bench represents progress.

That was Jesus’s role at City and he executed it well, with Pep Guardiola using him all across the forward line. Arteta has begun to do similarly, and for the draw at the Etihad in March, he started Jesus out on the left. The Brazilian played on the right wing when he was brought on last weekend against Bournemouth and he set up Declan Rice for Arsenal’s third.

Jesus has the ability and intelligence to play anywhere in the attack, making him the perfect player to bring off the bench. Whether he would settle for such a role remains to be seen and, once his knee is 100 per cent, he would undoubtedly back himself to get into the starting XI at Arsenal.

That is because Jesus is unique when it comes to Arsenal’s other attackers, described by Arteta as someone who brings “chaos” — and that is hard to find in the current market.

“I still have a lot of the street in my football, I think,” says Jesus. “Most of the time people don’t know what you’re going to do with the ball and I try to create something different.

“It has helped me a lot right up to today, and I think until I die I will carry on playing this way.”