Gabriel Jesus is unlikely to play against Fulham in the London derby on Sunday afternoon, according to Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal.
Today's Premier League match between Mikel Arteta's Arsenal and Marco Silva's Fulham will take place at Craven Cottage.
Jesus has resumed exercising and is making a good recovery from the injuries he sustained while representing Brazil at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The £265,000-a-week (Spotrac) striker is keen to play, according to Arteta, but he may be let down today.
The Arsenal manager has hinted that he won't risk starting Jesus versus Fulham.
GABRIEL JESUS vs. Fulham: MIKEL ARTETA ON ARSENAL STRIKER
Jesus has been really pushing the envelope and trying to recover as quickly and easily as he can, but the truth is that when he started to perform some activity, he still felt like he needed a little bit more time, according to Arteta.
Is it days or weeks before that happens? Ideally, absolutely. Yet given the way he plays, he must be at ease, confident, and prepared. When he is prepared, we need him to be at his best. He'll be launched onto the field.
Arteta added, when questioned about the significance of not rushing him back, "We haven't done that at all.It's clear that his timeframe was honored, thus the focus is now more on his feelings.
He is so eager to participate that when he genuinely says, "I truly want to be a part of this," it indicates that he is well prepared.
Photograph of Gabriel Jesus by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images
When asked if it had been challenging to keep him on the sidelines, Arteta responded, "It has been in the previous two weeks, but now we are comfortable where he is, the status of the knee, and where he is physically in all the metrics he needs to be safe to come back are in the correct spots.
The key right now is for him to feel confident taking on difficulties and dealing with adversaries.
Please don't rush.
Arsenal shouldn't force Gabriel Jesus to recover from his injury, in our opinion.
Certainly, the Brazilian is eager to play again, and Arsenal supporters would want to see the former Manchester City striker take the lead once more.
Eddie Nketiah is currently hurt.
But we think Arteta is doing a really wise thing by giving Jesus his time to become totally strong and not rushing him.
For Arsenal to win the Premier League title in the waning weeks and months of the campaign, the striker will be crucial.