Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus is making good progress towards his injury comeback following knee surgery, but manager Mikel Arteta says it is too early to put a timeline on his first-team return.
Jesus has not played for the Gunners since November after suffering a knee injury while on international duty with Brazil at the World Cup.
The striker has impressed in the first half of the season following his summer arrival from Manchester City and there are fears his absence could damage Arsenal’s title run.
However, Eddie Nketiah has put in a good performance since the winter break, scoring four times in six league appearances.
“Gabi did a great job,” Artabi said. “He’s been out a little bit. It’s still early days and he’s pushing everyone every day. We have to respect the time and the process, but it’s going really well.
“He is still far from [his return date]. When you take the load off that knee and do some movements and movements, you notice that it doesn’t control as much. “We have to see how the knee reacts”.
Arteta also confirmed that Reiss Nelson and Emily Smith Rowe will be sidelined for the Premier League clash with Brentford.
“They have started some activities and they have come out, but they are not ready to contribute,” he said.
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Xhaka, Partey; Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Jesus
Brentford possible starting lineup:
Raya; Hickey, Pinnock, Mee, Henry; Dasilva, Norgaard, Jensen; Mbeumo, Toney, Wissa
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