Arsenal FC news: Gabriel Jesus says he’s ‘not playing’ in Mikel Arteta’s first team

The Brazilian made his long-awaited return from injury earlier this month after undergoing knee surgery in December following a World Cup injury.

As the 25-year-old’s absence was expected to derail Arsenal’s Premier League title challenge, other members of Mikel Arteta’s squad stepped in.

Substitute striker Eddie Nketiah scored a memorable winner to seal a dramatic stoppage-time win over Manchester United in January, while all of Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli reached double digits.

January signing Leandro Trossard has also had an instant impact since joining from Brighton, giving Arteta a number of attacking options before the end of the season.

Although Merson believes the former Manchester City striker’s return is a “huge” boost for his former club, he stressed that Jesus would have to be “patient” to win back his place.

“Gabriel Jesus is not playing at the moment, for me,” Merson wrote for Sky Sports.

“He’s been gone for a long time. Trossard arrived and set off with a bang. Watch Arsenal’s last three league games – three goals, three goals, four goals. It’s not as if they lack scorers.

“Jesus is an amazing player to have on the bench, he has to be patient. It’s like having a transfer window now and Arsenal buying Jesus – that’s huge.