Arsenal 'hope Gabriel Jesus can return before international break'

The 25-year-old, who moved to the Emirates Stadium from Manchester City last summer, enjoyed a bright start to the 2022-23 campaign, scoring five goals and registering seven assists in 20 appearances across all competitions.

However, Jesus has not played for the Gunners since November 12 after he sustained a knee injury while on international duty with Brazil at the 2022 World Cup.

Jesus underwent successful knee surgery towards the end of last year and he has since been recovering at Arsenal's London Colney training complex.

The striker revealed on January 22 that he may be in a position to return from injury within the next "four or five weeks" during a conversation with UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov at the Emirates following Arsenal's 3-2 win over Manchester United.

Prior to Arsenal's 1-0 victory away against Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday, Mikel Arteta provided a positive update on Jesus's recovery.

"He's progressing well," the Spaniard told reporters at a press conference. "Doing more and more on the field. The knee's not reacting so it's really positive.

"We want him back as quick as possible, but also respecting the timescale that the doctors and the specialists are giving us."

According to football.london, the Gunners are hopeful that Jesus will return to the first-team squad before the international break begins towards the end of March.

Arsenal have six fixtures to prepare for in the month of March, with a home encounter against Crystal Palace on March 19 their final game before the international break beings.

The Gunners will then have to wait 13 days before they return to action on April 1 with a home clash against Leeds United.

Arteta has managed to cope well without the presence of Jesus in attack, with Eddie Nketiah, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard all handed opportunities as a central striker in the Brazilian's absence.

Elsewhere on the injury front, Thomas Partey recovered from a thigh injury to feature as a substitute in the win at Leicester, and the Ghanaian is expected to be involved when the Gunners play host to Everton on Wednesday.

However, fellow midfielder Mohamed Elneny is expected to miss the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery at the end of January.

Arsenal will be seeking revenge against Everton after losing 1-0 at Goodison Park on February 4, and victory on Wednesday would see them move five points clear at the top of the Premier League table.