Arsenal reportedly intend to manage the minutes of Gabriel Jesus for the remainder of the 2023-24 campaign.
The Brazil international is currently in his second season at the Emirates Stadium since moving from Manchester City.
A total of 56 appearances have been made in all competitions by the 26-year-old, who has chipped in with a respectable 19 goals and 13 assists from those outings.
However, on several occasions since the summer, Jesus has experienced fitness issues, largely with his knee either side of a hamstring problem.
As a result, he will head into March having been restricted to 17 starts and six substitute outings this season, most recently a consequence of being absent from the pitch since the end of January.
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Although Mikel Arteta selected Jesus as a substitute for the 4-1 victory over Newcastle United on Saturday evening, he opted against taking any risks on his senior striker when the game was already over as a contest.
With a nine-day gap between that fixture and the one at Sheffield United on Monday night, it is plausible that Jesus could be provided with some minutes at Bramall Lane.
Nevertheless, according to the Daily Mail, Arsenal and Arteta still plan to limit Jesus's minutes over the next three months.
Jesus is said to be suffering with fluid on his knee and Arsenal's medical department are eager to avoid pushing him too far in a bid to keep him fit for the run-in.
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Throughout the campaign, Jesus has completed 90 minutes on just five occasions, and his recent injury layoff came on the back of playing 78 minutes in a game at Nottingham Forest on January 30.
Arteta has alternative options at his disposal with Kai Havertz having most recently gotten the nod over the likes of Leandro Trossard and Eddie Nketiah.
Over a 12-day period, Arsenal have four games to play, facing Sheffield United, Brentford and Chelsea in the Premier League, as well as Porto in the Champions League on March 12.
The likelihood appears to be that Arteta will manage Jesus's fitness during that period, particularly ahead of a likely call-up to the Brazil squad for their upcoming international fixtures in the second half of the month.
Darren Plant
