Mikel Arteta says Gabriel Jesus needs “a little bit more time” before he is thrown back into action for Arsenal following his return from a knee injury.
Jesus was expected to be in Arsenal’s squad to face Sporting Lisbon on Thursday having been pictured training with the team at London Colney, but he did not travel with the team and Arteta has told the media the Brazilian does not yet feel ready to return to action.
“He had a bad injury,” he said in his press conference ahead of the clash with Fulham.
“He’s been really pushing the boundaries and trying to get that recovery as quick and as soon as possible, but the reality is that when he started to do some activity, he is still feeling that he needed a little bit more time.
“Is that a matter of days rather than a matter of weeks? Hopefully yes. But he needs to feel confident and comfortable and ready, especially the way he plays. We need him at his best so, the moment he is ready, he will be thrown on the field.”
Asked about the importance of not rushing him back, Arteta added: “We haven’t done that at all. Obviously the timescale he had has been respected and now it’s more about his feelings.
“When he actually demands, ‘I really want to be a part of this’, because he’s so willing, and the moment he expresses that desire that means he feels fully ready.”
Asked if it’s been difficult to hold him back, Arteta said: “It has been in the last few weeks but now we are comfortable where he is, the state of the knee, where he is physically in all the metrics he needs to be safe to come back are in the right places.
“It’s now about him feeling ready to step in and have challenges and have opponents around.”
Jesus is not the only Arsenal forward who will be absent against Fulham on Sunday.
“Eddie [Nketiah] is out too so we have Gabi out, Eddie out and Leo [Leandro Trossard] is out so we have to adapt in this period of the season.”
He added: “We have different options, we can play with a winger more as a nine, we can play with a false nine, let’s see.”
