Progress & potential return date for Arsenal star

Gabriel Jesus had a transformative effect on Arsenal’s frontline during the first half of their stellar 2022/23 campaign.

While the Brazilian endured a rather lengthy goal drought before the World Cup, his significance as Mikel Arteta’s focal point was distinct and he was a major factor in the Gunners boasting a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table as club football ground to a halt in November.

So, when it was revealed in December the striker had sustained a knee injury that required surgery and would keep him sidelined for months, some, including a few Gooners, projected Arsenal’s demise.

But the Gunners have continued to purr – well, until Sean Dyche got involved – in Jesus’ absence with Eddie Nketiah deputising ably. Still, the defeat at Goodison Park depicted areas where Eddie falls short in comparison to the Brazilian, and his return will come as a massive boost for the entire club down the stretch.

Jesus sustained medial ligament damage during Brazil’s 1-0 defeat to Cameroon in an inconsequential World Cup group game. It was a disappointing and brief tournament for the Arsenal striker.

After sustaining the injury on 2 December, Arsenal confirmed four days later that the striker had successfully undergone surgery on his right knee. There was no scheduled return date, but many correctly speculated Jesus would spend months on the sidelines.

There have been bits and pieces on Twitter and Instagram.

Jesus was in attendance for Arsenal’s 3-2 victory over Manchester United on 22 January when he was captured speaking to MMA superstar Khabib Nurmagomedov. During the interaction, Jesus appeared to say that he was hoping to be back in “four or five weeks”, which would mean he’d have been out of action for roughly three months – as many predicted once the severity of his injury was revealed.

On 1 February, the Brazilian posted more signs of progress on Instagram as he returned to the training pitch (not at Arsenal) and began running again for the first time in eight weeks.

The Arsenal boss has been coy when discussing Jesus’ progress and his potential return to the fold. The last we heard from Arteta came back in mid-January when he said the Brazilian was going to be out of action for “longer than expected”.

But, seeing as the Spaniard never initially gave a time frame for the striker’s return, it’s hard to gauge what that actually…