Jamie Carragher says the return of Gabriel Jesus could be crucial to Arsenal’s chances of winning the title.

The Sky Sports pundit claims the Gunners have done exceptionally well to maintain their position at the top of the table without him since Christmas, but Jesus could yet prove to be a pivotal figure in the run-in:

“A big thing we should give Arsenal credit for, I think when Jesus got injured they were five points clear of Man City. How long’s he been injured? Three months? They’re still five points clear. You’ve got to give them massive credit for that because there were a lot of questions asked. He’s about to come back and he was an absolute revelation in those early months.”

Jesus was pictured taking part in the warm-down after the Bournemouth game at the weekend and reports suggest that he should be available for selection again before the international break.

Whether he’ll be ready to take his place on the bench when Arsenal take on Fulham this weekend, it isn’t known, but there is hope that he will be involved against Crystal Palace later this month.

In the immediate term, though, the Gunners’ forward options are pretty threadbare. Leandro Trossard (groin) and Eddie Nketiah (ankle) are also out injured so it’s expected that Gabriel Martinelli will lead the line versus Sporting Lisbon on Thursday.