Mikel Arteta has warned Arsenal fans that Gabriel Jesus is still ‘far’ away from a return following surgery on his knee.
The Brazilian has been out since suffering the injury during the World Cup last month.
He was initially expected to miss up to three months of action, returning for the Premier League leaders towards the end of February or early March.
Recent updates on social media have given Arsenal supporters hope that he could be back before too long. Jesus has shown himself throwing away his crutches and his knee braces.
But ahead of Sunday’s north London derby, Arteta told fans to remain patient over their No 9.
‘I’d like to see him very quickly but I don’t think it’s going to happen. We’re going have to be patient with that one,’ Arteta said.
‘It’s a complicated surgery, in any surgery there are always a lot of things were you have to be cautious.
‘He’s a player that’s going to push to be really fast on the pitch… he’s progressing really well, he’s working really hard, he’s in the right place in terms of the time that we set for him, but he’s still a bit far.’
Jesus has helped transform Arsenal’s attack since joining from Manchester City in the summer.
But his injury has shone a light on Arsenal’s lack of attacking depth.
They are hopeful of adding reinforcement this month, with confidence growing that a deal could be close for Shakhtar Donetsk’s Mykhailo Mudryk.
Arteta would not discuss the Ukraine winger specifically but he did say: ‘There are some interests in what we’d like to do to improve the team because we’re short in certain areas and with injuries that picked. We are trying and as a club we are trying to improve in every window.’
Arsenal can move 14 points ahead of rivals Tottenham with an away victory on Sunday.
‘That’s why we’re here to play these games. It’s one of the biggest games of the season for us. We know how much it means for us on the table and how much it means for our people as well. But we’re going have to focus on playing well and doing what we have to do to win the game,’ Arteta added.
