Medical staff still assessing the extent of the Swede’s issue, says Arsenal’s manager
Mikel Arteta says Gabriel Jesus has returned from injury and it has lifted the mood in the dressing room.
The Brazilian striker has not featured since sustaining a serious knee injury during an FA Cup tie against Manchester United in January. He collided awkwardly with Bruno Fernandes and had to be stretchered off, with subsequent scans revealing a torn ACL.
It was his third major knee injury since joining Arsenal in 2022. But the Brazilian has finally resumed full training with the first team, and Arteta admitted his return has brought new energy to London Colney.
“I’m thrilled to have him,” said Arteta. “I think he’s going to add something extra to the team that we don’t have and make sure that very soon we see him on that pitch making an impact for the team.
“It’s about making the steps day-by-day in a different surrounding. He’s been doing everything on his own. Now he’s got players around him, very competitive players around him, and let’s see how he copes with that.
“But he’s full of energy. I love the reaction of all his teammates when he first joined us. It’s great to have him back.”
Feelings at the moment are bitter-sweet for Arsenal, with Jesus’ recovery followed by a setback for new signing Viktor Gyokeres. The Swede was forced off with a hamstring injury during the win over Burnley last weekend and is expected to miss the upcoming clash with Sunderland.
The only positive might be that the international break could give him enough time to recover.
Arteta said: “I am concerned because he hasn’t had many muscular issues and he needed to leave the pitch and he was feeling something.
“That’s obviously never a good sign, especially for a player that is very, very explosive. So we are digging in a little bit more to understand where we are in terms of the injury and we’ll announce the moment we know.”
