Arsenal confirm Champions League squad change after UEFA rule loophole

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Gabriel Jesus has made his comeback from injury and could feature in Arsenal’s Champions League clash against Club Brugge

Mikel Arteta has taken advantage of a UEFA loophole to bring Gabriel Jesus into his Champions League squad in place of Max Dowman. The 28-year-old Brazilian has recently returned to first-team training following an extended spell on the sidelines with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

He picked up the injury during Arsenal’s FA Cup third-round defeat to Manchester United earlier this year. Since then, Jesus has worked his way back to fitness at the Sobha Realty Training Centre, securing a spot in the matchday squad against Chelsea and Brentford.

"He's doing everything with the team at the moment for the last almost two weeks," Arteta previously said of the striker. "We're going to give him some exposure as well internally with some games, so he gets that fitness. But he looks really good in training, and he's going to be a big addition to the team."

Dowman has seen limited action for Arsenal this season. The 15-year-old midfielder made a couple of cameo appearances early in the campaign, becoming the second-youngest player in both the club's and Premier League history.

He was handed another brief outing off the bench during the 1-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, but has not featured in the top flight since. Dowman has since picked up an injury while featuring for the under-21s last weekend.

Ahead of Wednesday night's Champions League clash with Club Brugge, Arsenal confirmed in a statement that Jesus has been included in the squad. It read: "Gabriel Jesus has replaced Max Dowman on our UEFA A list with immediate effect.

"Therefore, Gabby is eligible to play in our match against Club Brugge in Belgium on Wednesday night. Max, who picked up an ankle injury playing for our under-21s on Saturday, will be added to our UEFA B list in January, but will not be permitted to play in any UEFA competitions for 60 days from today (February 6)."