Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had admitted he is still unable to give a timescale on Gabriel Jesus’ return to fitness.
Jesus has been out injured since the World Cup, a blow that threatened to derail Arsenal’s title ambitions with the Brazil star having played a vital part in the Gunners’ impressive start to the season.
Eddie Nketiah has stepped up in Jesus’ place, but the club will be keen to get the forward back to full fitness as soon as possible.
Via The Mirror, Arteta said Jesus is doing ‘really well’ after he was spotted training back on grass, but it appears the 25-year-old is still some way away from a return.
‘Gabi is doing really well, he’s already been outside a little bit,’ Arteta said on Friday. ‘It’s still early stages, he keeps pushing everybody every single day, but we need to respect timelines and processes. He’s doing really well.’
The injury was a serious one and there were initial fears that Jesus could be out until as late as May with the issue.
He’s on the road to recovery, but Arteta wouldn’t be pushed on a timescale.
‘Not yet, too far off that’, he said. ‘You have to see now when you start putting some loads on that knee and you start to get some movements and actions that are not as controlled as the ones he’s had, how it reacts and whether he’s comfortable to go to the next stage.’
Arsenal have improved their squad depth in recent times with the likes of Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior arriving in January, but some key players are still out injured.
Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson, like Jesus, are nursing long-term issues, but all three players are on the mend.
‘The players who were out for a long time like Emile, Reiss and Gabi, they are closer’, Arteta said.
‘They started to do some work outside but they are not ready to contribute yet.’]
Meanwhile, Arteta refused to comment on the Premier League’s recent charges against Manchester City, where he was formerly assistant manager to Pep Guardiola.
