COMMENT: So they have their answer. Those exes questioning where Kai Havertz will fit in this Arsenal team. This week, they now have their answer...

So why now? Why do the clean-up surgery now on Gabriel Jesus' troublesome knee and not at the beginning of the summer? It must be questioned. Examined. Having committed over £200m to team strengthening this summer, you don't want to suffer a false season start. But this is what Arsenal risk with their prime striker now unavailable.

Mikel Arteta, the Gunners manager, says Gabriel Jesus will be sidelined "for a few weeks", but couldn't offer a definitive return date. A "few weeks", could easily turn into a month or more. With expectations of a genuine title bid sky high in North London, could management have been more decisive regarding Gabriel's issues? Why was it left to the player to put his hand up a fortnight out from the start of the season? Just where were the medical staff on this?

Avoiding the hysterics (at least trying to), we know a Premier League preseason must run into the proper campaign. It isn't until a good 5-6 weeks into the new season that everything clicks, physically, for individual players. Gabriel, it must be said, faces having to do shortened rebuild of his core fitness upon his return - and that's before getting himself into prime match shape. As we say, this really wasn't in the script. And you do wonder if it could've been avoided with earlier intervention.

Certainly, Arteta's words ahead of Gabriel's complaint does suggest he's banking on the Brazil international shouldering much of the goalscoring burden this season. Indeed, after it was put to Arteta he would need to find another goalscorer, he waved the claims away as he was bullish about what he was seeing from his No14.

After victory against Barcelona in New Jersey, the manager said: “If we have somebody that can score 25, 30, 40 goals, then great.

“Today, Gabby didn't score, but it's the best Gabby that I've seen for months."

However, it doesn't have to be panic stations just yet. Indeed, in that NJ soundbite, Arteta did raise the prospect of a solution should his Brazilian hit a rut.

"There's the contribution from Kai [Havertz] as well — that's why he's playing; he's got that quality in and around that position with Leo (Trossard).

"We have a lot of options up front, and they're going to have to compete between them to give me a hard time."

Havertz, standing at 1.91m, is looming as Arsenal's centre-forward for the opening weeks. It's not what Arteta had planned, a deeper role reminiscent of Granit Xhaka's positioning last season had been earmarked. But needs must. And while it's not ideal, it is fortunate that Havertz has shown he is capable of playing further forward.

So he'll take one for the team, will Havertz. He'll have to, with attacking options threadbare. But it'll give him a chance. A chance to stare down so many inside the game whom have questioned Arsenal's decision to bring the former Chelsea man across London.

For this column, the reaction has been baffling. With his youth, his ability, his potential, Havertz could be a world-beater. He's shown he can cut it at the very highest level. The instant doomer reaction is surprising.

“Havertz was a bit of a shock," says Gunners favourite, Ray Parlour, "because I thought they needed an out-and-out striker."

Gus Poyet, formerly of Chelsea and Tottenham, has also said: "I don't know where he's going to play, so until I see him and where he's going to play, I can't tell you whether it's going to work or not."

And Kieran Gibbs, the former Arsenal fullback, offered the most brutal assessment of all: "For that money, I want someone who when things are going bad he's going to put the team on his back and say don't worry boys I've got this. At first sight, I don't see it. Right now, I don't see it."

Fragile. Inconsistent. It wasn't so long ago they were saying the same about Martin Odegaard. But Arteta and Edu, the club's football director, saw something in the Norwegian their counterparts inside Real Madrid couldn't. And for this column, we do fancy the same can apply for Havertz.

But he'll have to do it out of position. At least for the first weeks of his Arsenal career. On the player's side, it won't be ideal. And it's probably unwelcome. But for Arteta, it's good fortune.

Declan Rice. Jurrien Timber. Havertz. Arsenal have enjoyed an excellent market this summer. But Arteta and Edu gambled on their need for a striker. And throwing it all in with Gabriel Jesus has cost them an avoidable early season disruption.

On Sunday at Wembley, Arteta went with Havertz at centre-forward. The German drew praise from his manager in the aftermath of their Community Shield triumph. As he should. Against a possession dominant Manchester City, Havertz was issued with a thankless task. The German's main role being as first defender. But he stuck to it. It wasn't pretty. It wasn't memorable. But Havertz did his job. As we say, he took one for the team - and that's including Arteta and Edu.

Ignoring the need for extra goalscoring expertise is a gamble. And clearly management believe they have enough in Gabriel Jesus. But this knee injury wasn't in the script. For Arteta and Arsenal's sake, you do hope the recovery isn't as complicated as it threatens to be.