Gary Neville and Micah Richards have agreed that Eddie Nketiah has been a surprise package for Arsenal this season as he continues to fill the void left by Gabriel Jesus in attack. The Gunners are hopeful the Brazilian striker can return to action before the March international break, football.london understands.
Jesus was ruled out of action in December for a number of weeks after sustaining a knee injury whilst playing for Brazil at the World Cup in Qatar. Nketiah has now scored nine goals in all competitions this season, four more than Jesus managed for the north Londoners before his injury.
Mikel Arteta made the bold decision to drop Nketiah from the starting 11 that played against Leicester City at the weekend, with January signing Leandro Trossard being deployed in a false nine role alongside Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli. Nketiah may remain on the bench for the clash against Everton on Wednesday night as Arteta looks to manage players' minutes heading into a congested period of fixtures.
