Arsenal are hopeful of having Gabriel Jesus back in the squad before the international break, football.london understands.
The Brazilian has been out since November with a knee injury sustained while on international duty at the World Cup. It is generally protocol for players injured in a tournament for Brazil to stay with the squad for the duration of the campaign, but it's understood that Edu intervened in order to have Jesus returned to London ahead of schedule to have surgery as quick as possible.
As he continues his recovery from that surgery Jesus has been back at London Colney, with Arsenal's medical team gradually increasing the load placed on his injured leg. Speaking last week, manager Mikel Arteta revealed that this process has been progressing well.
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"He’s progressing well," the Spaniard said ahead of Arsenal's Premier League clash with Leicester City. "Doing more and more on the field. The knee’s not reacting so it’s really positive. We want him back as quick as possible, but also respecting the timescale that the doctors and the specialists are giving us."
Arsenal have six more matches before the international break in March. It is unlikely that Jesus will be back in the squad for Wednesday's clash with Everton, or Saturday's match with Bournemouth however.
Beyond that the Gunners have two legs of their Europa League round of 16 tie with Sporting CP either side of a trip to Fulham. They then host Crystal Palace before the Premier League pauses for two weeks. Arsenal are hopeful of having Jesus back in the squad before this point. It is possible that the Gunners could also use under-21 fixtures to bolster the Brazilian's fitness ahead of a reintroduction to the first team scene.
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