When could Gabriel Jesus return from his injury?

Hang on a minute, I thought Gabriel Jesus’ injury was meant to derail Arsenal’s promising 2022/23 campaign. What are they doing five points clear at the top of the Premier League having gone unbeaten through a difficult January stretch, then?

“Your defence is in trouble… Nketiah’s in the room.”

Do you hear that? That faint murmur, it’s getting louder. Listen closely, can you hear it? Wait…

“Your defence is in trouble… Nketiah’s in the room.”

The jingle, good god it’s overbearing. I hear it loud and clear.

“YOUR DEFENCE IS IN TROUBLE… NKETIAH’S IN THE ROOM!”

That’s right, Eddie Nketiah’s imperious run of form has ensured Mikel Arteta’s Gunners are yet to miss a beat in Jesus’ once-feared absence. The English striker scored his eighth and ninth goals of the season on Sunday as Arsenal secured a huge victory over Man Utd.

So, while Jesus had a transformative effect on Arsenal’s front line before the World Cup, Eddie’s output has allowed their potent form to perpetuate. Still, I’m sure every Gooner on the planet would love to see Jesus back in action soon. So, when could that be?

When could Gabriel Jesus return from his injury?

Arsenal refused to give a time frame for the striker’s return when they revealed in December that he’d undergone surgery to fix a knee injury, but Arteta said last week that Jesus would be out for a “bit longer” than expected.

The Brazilian should return before the season’s up, that’s for sure, but when exactly he’ll take to the field again is hard to pinpoint. We did get some insight into Jesus’ recovery at the weekend when a clip of the Arsenal striker speaking to UFC great Khabib Nurmagomedov surfaced on social media.

Jesus appeared to say to Khabib that he was hoping to be back in “four or five weeks” time 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.

If Jesus’ projection is correct, the Brazilian could be training once again at the end of February. From there, it’s anyone’s guess how long it’d take to get him up to match speed again. The Europa League round of 16 begins at the start of March, and it’d be ideal if Jesus was first for the return of that competition.