Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus could return to face Tottenham after the international break, according to journalist Charles Watts.
The Brazilian has been sidelined since picking up a groin injury after the win against Wolves on the opening day but, speaking on his YouTube channel, Watts said he has heard it on good authority that the striker is making good progress in his recovery:
“On the Gabriel Jesus injury… I have been told there is hope that he could potentially be back after the international break. He is stepping up his recovery plan.”
“I haven’t got a firm date though, I’ve not been told a firm date. When I was speaking at the game at the weekend to someone, they were saying the hope is he might be able to join in training at some point during the international break and could have a chance for Spurs.”
It does look as though Jesus could be back on the bench, at the very least, for the North London derby.
Watts’ comments about Jesus tally with what Arteta has been saying
In his press conference ahead of the 1-1 draw against Brighton last weekend, manager Mikel Arteta hinted that Jesus was closing in on a return to first-team action:
“He’s progressing really well. He had a muscle injury, and he’s doing quite a lot of the stuff already, so we expect him to be with us really soon.”
Originally, there were concerns that the 27-year-old could be out for quite some time but those initial fears have been allayed.
Arsenal’s injury list is already quite long
Despite only being three matches into the new season, the Gunners have four players (including Jesus) on the treatment table.
Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee), Mikel Merino (shoulder) and Kieran Tierney (hamstring) are also unavailable. You can find out their expected return dates by reading our article here.
