Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus to return for Fulham clash

In good news for Arsenal, manager Mikel Arteta confirmed in a pre-match press conference the return of Gabriel Jesus. The Brazilian missed out on the first two matches of the season, as well as Arsenal's Community Shield triumph against Manchester City following "minor knee surgery".

The striker had returned to training during the week, and ahead of Fulham's visit to Emirates Stadium, Arteta said he could see his first minutes of the 2023-24 season.

The Arsenal boss said they were "really happy" with the 26-year-old's recovery: "Obviously, it was a big blow for him after the pre-season that he had to have another surgery, but he’s looking really sharp, and trained the full week really good, so he’s ready to go."

The Spaniard also said that there were no new other issues in the squad which means that Jurrien Timber and Mohamed Elneny are the only two players continuing their own recoveries.

In turn, this means that Oleksandr Zinchenko could see his first minutes on the pitch this season, as the Ukrainian had been recovering from a calf injury and may arrive just in time to help patch up the hole in Arsenal's defence following Takehiro Tomiyasu's suspension.

 

August 25, 2023