Arsenal duo Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Jesus were both at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon for the Premier League clash against Brentford.
The Gunners look to return to winning ways after suffering back-to-back defeats to the hands of Manchester City and Everton. Victory over Thomas Franck's side could extend the north Londoners' lead to the top of the Premier League to eight points, with Manchester City facing Aston Villa tomorrow.
Arteta named an unchanged side to face the Bees, meaning January arrivals Jorginho, Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior remain on the bench. However, there have been two noticeable absences in the Arsenal squad throughout the previous month.
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Jesus has continued his recovery from a knee injury sustained at the World Cup, with the latest update showing the Brazilian beginning some ball work at London Colney. However, Smith Rowe has suffered a repeated blow to his rehabilitation after briefly returning to the squad.
The 22-year-old has been out of action since September after a niggling groin problem resulted in him requiring surgery. After making a 15-minute cameo in the FA Cup win over Oxford United at the start of January, the Hale Ender has only featured for one minute in the Premier League and has been once again sidelined.
football.london understands that the playmaker is suffering from a thigh strain and has been left out as a precaution.
Speaking on Smith Rowe's return, Arteta said: "The ones that were long-term like Emile, Reiss and Gabi Jesus are closer. They have started to do some activities and have been outside but they are not ready yet to contribute."
Despite their period off the field, Smith Rowe and Jesus were in attendance to cheer their teammates on for the clash with Brentford and were pictured in the stadium ahead of the match.
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