Mikel Arteta says ‘unbelievable’ Gabriel Jesus is ready to start and deserves his chance, ahead of Arsenal taking on Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
The Brazilian recently returned from a long lay-off due to a serious knee injury which saw him sidelined for 11 months.
He returned against Club Brugge in the Champions League and has now made three substitute appearances after Premier League outings against Wolves and Everton.
The 28-year-old has not started a match since January but Arteta says he is ready to be thrown back in from the start and is likely to be soon.
Arsenal host the Eagles on Tuesday night as they look to book their spot in the Carbao Cup semis.
On whether Jesus is ready to return to the starting XI, the Spaniard said: ‘Yes, he is. You can see now, not only in games, every day in training, how much he wants it. He’s going to deserve a chance soon.’
Asked whether he has been surprised by how sharp the former Manchester City man has looked on his return from serious injury, Arteta said: ‘No, because I was watching when he was seven months already on the pitch and the way he was moving and how much he wanted it.
‘I think he wrote a beautiful letter there explaining what football means to him and how it affects his life. I think it was something beautiful.’
The 64-cap Brazil international has scored 26 goals in 99 Arsenal appearances since his 2022 move from Manchester City.
His time in north London has been badly hampered by injuries and he has not really lived up to expectations as a result.
Arteta has praise for the ‘unbelievable’ striker, though, hailing his ‘fighting spirit’ during a difficult time.
‘Well it’s been a really intense journey I would say,’ Arteta said of Jesus’ time at Arsenal. ‘I think when he joined us, I think he lifted the belief, the spirit and the energy of the club and the team. I think he gave something very different to what we already had, and it was really impressive.
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‘And then he had some very bad injuries that hasn’t allowed him to have the consistency that we need from a very important player. But he’s back, I think his fighting his spirit, he’s decided to always prepare the best way. He’s unbelievable and the team has got it now and we need to use it.’
Arsenal have two more games to play before the end of the month after their clash with Palace on Tuesday.
Brighton go to the Emirates on December 27 before a huge clash with Aston Villa in the Premier League three days later.
Arteta insists he is only looking at the next task in hand, though, saying: ‘Now the most important one is the Carabao Cup against Palace because it’s the next game that we have.
‘Take it game by game. Winning and performing every game helps you for the next one. So now full focus on that.’
While Jesus may start, the injured quintet of Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes, Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera and Max Dowman remain out.
