Mikel Arteta confirms Gabriel Jesus is "not far" from Arsenal return

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 03 March 2023

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta announces that Gabriel Jesus is "not far" from a first-team return as he steps up his recovery from a knee injury.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has offered another positive update on the fitness of Gabriel Jesus, who is "not far" away from a long-awaited comeback from knee surgery.

The 25-year-old made an immediate impact at the Emirates Stadium following his summer arrival from Manchester City, but he has been sidelined for three months since sustaining a serious issue while on World Cup duty with Brazil.

As a result, Jesus has sat out Arsenal's last 13 games in all competitions, leaving Eddie Nketiah, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard to rotate at the tip of the attack in recent weeks.

Despite Jesus's absence, the Gunners remain in the driving seat in the Premier League title race, boasting a five-point lead over the striker's former club Man City thanks to a 4-0 win over Everton in midweek.

Bournemouth pay the next visit to the Emirates on Saturday, and Arteta revealed in Friday's pre-match press conference that Jesus has been able to take part in some aspects of team training, but he still did not want to put a timeline on his recovery.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta pictured on February 25, 2023 © Reuters

"He's not far now. I don't want to give a timeline but he is doing certain things with the team and certain things away from the team. He's not very close but he's not far at all," Arteta told reporters.

"He is feeling better every day and feeling confident with the way the injury is evolving. We are in a good place with him, I think. It's been pretty straightforward.

"At the beginning we were really concerned. Thankfully it wasn't that bad, but it was a long-term injury that required surgery. Knowing Gabi he has been through that before and his mentality is just incredible. The team has done a good job to put him in the position he is in today."

When asked if a return for after the international break could be pencilled in, Arteta added: "We don't know. He needs to do much more with the team but let's see how the next week/10 days develop and we will have a better picture after that."

Nketiah initially starred in the Jesus-sized void over the winter months, but the Englishman has since been dropped from the starting lineup for Arsenal's wins over Leicester City and Everton, with the interchangeable pair of Trossard and Martinelli featuring from the off instead.

Arsenal's Eddie Nketiah celebrates scoring against Manchester United on January 22, 2023 © Reuters

Nketiah came off the bench in Wednesday's game, but he was not moving comfortably at the full-time whistle, having been suffering from an apparent knock in recent fixtures.

Arteta admitted that the 23-year-old was still "uncertain" for the visit of Bournemouth, but midfielder Jorginho is fine after coming off at half time against Everton due to illness.

"We are assessing him [Eddie Nketiah] and it is a bit uncertain what is going to happen to be honest. He is positive so hopefully he will be fine," Arteta added. "Jorginho is fine, he had an illness and was suffering but he is fit now."

Jorginho has proven to be an astute piece of January business for Arsenal, who lost Thomas Partey to a thigh injury for a couple of games, but the Ghana international is now fully fit again and will push for a return to the starting lineup this weekend.

Arsenal's advantage over Man City will be cut down to two points for at least couple of hours if the champions overcome Newcastle United on Saturday lunchtime.