Mikel Arteta delivers Gabriel Jesus injury update with Arsenal striker “pushing” for return

Mikel Arteta delivers Gabriel Jesus injury update with Arsenal striker “pushing” for return

Mikel Arteta disclosed that Gabriel Jesus is “pushing” to return from injury, but the Arsenal manager is unable to provide an exact timeline.

Jesus, 25, has not played for the Gunners since suffering a serious knee injury during the World Cup nearly three months ago.

Arteta has urged fans to be patient as they await the return of the Brazilian striker, who has boosted Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes with his recent return to the field.

“Gabi is doing really well, he’s already been outside a little bit,” the Gunners boss began 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.”

Asked for a timescale on when Jesus could be back in action, Arteta admitted: “Not yet, too far off that. 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.”

The Spaniard then went on to say: “The players who were out for a long time like Emile [Smith Rowe], Reiss [Nelson] and Gabi they are closer. They started to do some work outside but they are not ready to contribute yet.”

Arteta’s remarks come after the former Manchester City player posted a photo of himself wearing football boots on social media. Jesus wrote the caption “After 8 weeks” with a number of smiling emoticons.

However, it appears that backup striker Eddie Nketiah will continue to lead the line, and the Englishman’s manager is pleased with his contribution.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Arteta explained: “The good news is that another academy player like Eddie, who has been very patient and has been working hard and has been evolving in the way that we wanted, now he has the opportunity to show what he can do and he certainly is.”

This acclaim was echoed by Manchester United legend Gary Neville, who this week cited Nketiah as the Premier League player who has surprised him the most. “I’m going to go Nketiah,” Neville declared on The Overlap. “Because I thought when Jesus got injured, I thought that could be [a problem]. But he’s played really well for Arsenal.”

Fellow United icon Roy Keane has even compared the 23-year-old to Arsenal legend Ian Wright. “Like Ian used to do, not getting many touches but that sharpness in the box, which we see as well for the winning goal,” Keane told Sky Sports. “If you’re hanging around the box and you’re a sharp striker, you’ll get your chances and your goals.”

Mikel Arteta delivers Gabriel Jesus injury update with Arsenal striker “pushing” for return