Is Gabriel Jesus just hours away from making his return to the Arsenal matchday squad for this afternoon's Premier League clash against Fulham?
Well, all will be revealed at around an hour before kick-off in west London as a lot of eyes are sure to be glued on the starting line-up announcement as well as the players named on the substitutes bench as Mikel Arteta may require one or two to make an impact at Craven Cottage.
It's exactly four months to the date since Jesus last featured for the Gunners - a 2-0 win away from home against Wolves. That was the club's final fixture before the World Cup break and it was whilst playing for Brazil that the striker suffered knee medial ligament damage which required surgery.
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Despite missing the last 15 games in a row across all competitions, the good news is that the 25-year-old has been able to make a full recovery and he handed Arsenal a major boost earlier in the week by taking part in a full training session at London Colney ahead of the Europa League round of 16 first-leg clash against Sporting CP.
Now, it had been speculated that Jesus would travel to Portugal, but football.london understands the decision was made for him to remain in England as Arteta has been consistent with his stance on reintegrating last summer's £45m arrival from Manchester City when the time is right.
"We will try not to rush him back, we will try to make a fair assessment between what he needs and when is comfortable and as well giving the team a boost that it’s going to need in the next few weeks for sure," the Spaniard told football.london. "Everything is going well, he needs time as well to get himself that confidence and that physical state that is necessary to compete with a free mind and once he’s free to do that, we will throw him in."
With that in mind, one question among many Arsenal supporters' minds could be does Arteta view the Fulham game as the perfect opportunity to throw Jesus in? Even if the answer is yes, the Spaniard's cautious approach with players returning from long-term injuries means the Brazilian won't start at Craven Cottage.
Therefore, should the Gunners no.9 earn a recall to the Gunners' matchday squad, he will most likely take his place amongst the substitutes - alongside the likes of Rob Holding, Jakub Kiwior and Jorginho - in the hope of making his first Premier League appearance since November 12.
Alternatively, Jesus could be among the four senior stars - alongside Mohamed Elneny, Eddie Nketiah and Karl Hein - to miss the Fulham clash as per Premier League rules regarding a 20-man matchday squad if Arteta decides to keep the striker fresh for upcoming games against Sporting CP and Crystal Palace.
This particular scenario could see one of Arsenal's talented youngsters earn a call-up to the squad, possibly Amario Cozier-Duberry who was spotted in training on Saturday and would provide a natural attacking option especially if Jesus, Leandro Trossard and Nketiah aren't involved in west London.
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