Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus is set to return to action for Mikel Arteta in March ahead of a crucial run of fixtures in the Gunners' season. The Brazilian has been edging closer to returning to action after weeks of rehabilitation from a knee injury he sustained during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Jesus has proved to be a key member of Arteta's squad this season before suffering his injury, scoring five times and providing a further five assists in 14 Premier League appearances. Eddie Nketiah has shown that he is capable of being a solid back-up option to Jesus, but has now gone five games without a goal for Arsenal.
Arteta has provided a number of updates on Jesus' recovery, with the striker also posting a number of positive signs on his social media as he edges closer to action. As the Gunners continue their Premier League title fight with Manchester City without Jesus, football.london brings you the latest on the forward's recovery.
Read more: Gabriel Jesus has already told Mikel Arteta when he will return from injury for Arsenal
Return date set
football.london understands the Brazilian is due back in March, meaning if his recovery progresses smoothly, he should be available for this season-defining month of April. Thus far Jesus is continuing well in his comeback, although the club remain hesitant to put an official timescale on his return.
"Doing really well," Arteta said when asked how Jesus is doing. "He’s on the pitch, he’s been doing quite a lot of work on the ball already and so far his rehab is going well."
Supporters have Leicester City theory
Many Arsenal fans on social have a theory that Jesus will, at the very least, return to full training before the end of the month. One supporter, in particular, went as far to suggest that the Brazilian could be amongst the substitutes against Leicester City on Saturday. Read what they said, here.
Now it should be noted that even if Jesus is back in full training ahead of the trip to the King Power Stadium, it's unlikely that he will be included in the matchday squad and that's solely because of Arteta's cautious approach with players returning from long-term injuries.
With that said, the theory that the Brazilian can soon resume full training with the rest of the Arsenal first-team squad does actually fall in line with the scenario that was outlined by medical expert Dr. Rajpal Brar, DPT post-surgery on December 6.
"Return timeline after MCL surgery is typically 10-12 weeks," he wrote on Twitter. "Ligament heals quite well due to robust blood supply. Granit Xhaka was back in 70 days & would’ve been sooner if not for the accompanying fracture as well. True timeline will be wait and see."
Arteta update ahead of Man City
Arteta has confirmed there are no fresh injury concerns ahead of Arsenal's Premier League clash against Manchester City whilst offering a fresh update on Jesus' recovery.
Jesus has been absent since the beginning of December after undergoing knee surgery as a result of sustaining medial ligament damage during the World Cup group stage fixture against Cameroon.
Whilst there is no timeframe for his return to action, he is making very good progress.
"Doing really well," Arteta said when asked how Jesus is doing. "He’s on the pitch, he’s been doing quite a lot of work on the ball already and so far his rehab is going well."
Asked if there was a timeframe for Jesus' return, Arteta added: "Unfortunately no. Ask the doctor maybe he’ll give you one!"
Arteta update ahead of Brentford
Arsenal boss Arteta delivered an update on Jesus' progress prior to the win against Brentford on February 11. When asked about injury updated, the Spaniard replied: "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."
Trainer post
Jesus continues to keep Arsenal supporters in the loop with how his recovery is coming along and his personal trainer Andre Cunha has now posted some footage on Instagram showing the player running outside on the grass.
Read the full story here.
Grass update
Jesus took to social media to deliver another update to his fans at the start of the month.
"After eight weeks", his Instagram story caption read, accompanied by a picture of him finally back on the grass. Arsenal will hope to have him back in full training as soon as possible as they continue to hunt for their first league title since 2004, currently sitting five points clear at the top of the table.
February prediction
Gabriel Jesus could be available for selection by the end of February, given his latest comments to Khabib Nurmagomedov, who was in attendance for the Arsenal vs Manchester United clash on January 22.
Speaking to the now-retired former UFC Champion, Jesus admitted he hopes to be back on the pitch in "four to five weeks".
Arteta's comments
Arteta spoke about Jesus prior to the North London Derby against Tottenham Hotspur on January. Arteta said: "He’s progressing really well, he’s working really hard, he’s in the right place in terms of the time that we set for him, but he’s still a bit far."
When asked if Jesus would return this season, Arteta added: "I’d like to see him very quickly but I don’t think it’s gonna happen. "We’re going to have to be patient with that one. But let’s see.
"It’s a complicated surgery, in any surgery, there are always a lot of things were you have to be cautious. He’s a player that’s going to push to be really fast on the pitch."
Second Instagram post
Jesus provided an update on how his recovery is going at the end of 2022. The 25-year-old wrote on his Instagram story: "Second week is gone." The caption was accompanied with three emoji's celebrating the fact that he's got over another difficult hurdle.
That being said, the image uploaded with the post shows that Jesus is still having to wear a knee brace. The date of when that's set to be removed is currently unknown.
Personal trainer gives Instagram update
Jesus' personal trainer provided an update on how his client's first week of rehabilitation went.
Writing on Instagram, Andre Cunha said: "First week. A big journey awaits! Tough, difficult and uncomfortable, you can bet it is! Transformer? You can bet it will!
"Feeding your heart with the vision of the future, living in the present and celebrating the short term achievements is key. Goals set and goals achieved, and so it will be, week by week, always doing a little more. Let's go, we're getting closer @dejesusoficial! WE FOLLOW."
Read more here.
Jesus reacts to surgery on Instagram
Jesus previously confirmed that his recovery is now well underway. Alongside a picture of him smiling with his crutches in hospital following surgery, he said on Instagram: "Hora de ir para casa (Time to go home)."
Read more via this link.
Successful surgery
Arsenal confirmed that the MCL procedure went well. A statement from the club read: "Gabriel Jesus has successfully undergone surgery to his right knee after suffering an injury during the Brazil v Cameroon World Cup group stage match on Friday.
"Gabby will now begin his rehabilitation programme. Everyone at the club is supporting Gabby and will be working hard to get him back on the pitch as soon as possible."
Games Jesus will likely miss
If Jesus is indeed facing up to 12 weeks on the sidelines, he's looking at a return around February 28. He could miss several big games as a result.
Find out the matches he could be absent for via this link.
When Jesus could return
Jesus has suffered a medial collateral ligament injury and needed surgery to correct the issue. The Brazilian striker was expected to miss between three to four weeks initially, but the injury is much worse than first feared, with reports suggesting he could be out for three to four months.
Read more here.
World Cup dream ended
The knee injury brought an end to Jesus' World Cup dream. As a result, the striker returned to London to begin his recovery. Brazil were later eliminated from the tournament by Croatia at the quarter-final stage.
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