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Gabriel Jesus has stepped up his recovery by rejoining the Arsenal squad for team training ahead of the Gunners' UEFA Europa League clash against Sporting CP.
Mikel Arteta's side retained a five-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table with a thrilling win against AFC Bournemouth at the weekend. They remarkably overturned a two-goal deficit to win the game 3-2 in injury time.
Arsenal have now turned their attention towards their Europa League Round of 16 tie against Sporting. They are set to face the Primeira Liga outfit in the first leg of the tie in Lisbon on Thursday (March 9).
The north London giants have received a major injury boost ahead of their trip to Portugal. Jesus was filmed coming out to train with the rest of his teammates on Wednesday (March 7) by journalist Charles Watts.
The Gunners acquired Jesus' services from rivals Manchester City for around £45 million last summer. He quickly established himself as a key player for them, scoring five times and providing six assists in 14 league games in the first half of the season.
However, the Brazil international suffered a serious knee injury during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He has not featured for Arsenal, missing 14 games in all competitions.
Jesus, though, appears to be edging closer to regaining full fitness as he was seen joining the rest of his teammates for training. It remains to be seen when he can return to action for the Premier League table-toppers.
The 25-year-old's return will be a huge boost for the London outfit as they enter the business end of the season. They are determined to retain their place at the top of the league standings, while also trying to win the Europa League.
It's not all good news for Arsenal
Arteta will be delighted to see Jesus back training with the rest of the squad, but the Spaniard has also received a few setbacks. Leandro Trossard, Eddie Nketiah and Kieran Tierney were missing from Arsenal's team training on Wednesday, as per Watts.
Nketiah missed the Gunners' win against Bournemouth last weekend after picking up a knock. Meanwhile, Trossard, who joined the club from Brighton & Hove Albion in January, was forced off in the first half of the game.
Tierney was an unused substitute against the Cherries and it is unclear why he was not in training with the rest of the squad. It appears the trio have joined Mohamed Elneny on the treatment table.
