Returning fully match fit is always the final step in your injury rehabilitation. Or perhaps you can redefine it as returning to first team status, and then of course going the full 90 minutes, as completing the rehab process. Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus is getting there. Having missed 11 months of game time, due to a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, Jesus has returned, making three substitute appearances in wins over Club Brugge, Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
However, its been very close to a full calendar year since the Brazilian center forward has earned a starting assignment.
League Cup Quarterfinal FYIs
Arsenal FC vs Crystal Palace
Kickoff: Tue. Dec. 23rd, 8pm, Emirates Stadium, London, UK
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Maybe that first team nod will come against Crystal Palace, in the League Cup quarterfinal tomorrow night? It would be a good chance for both Gabriel Jesus and the team itself, given how manager Mikel Arteta is expected to heavily rotate his side for the London derby cup clash.
“Yes he is (ready to start), and you can tell,” Arteta said of Jesus at his news conference earlier today.
“You can see now, not only in games but every day in training how much he wants it so he’s going to deserve a chance soon. It has been a real intense journey. When he joined us he lifted the belief, the spirit and the energy of the team and he gave something very different to what we already had and was very impressive.
“Then he had some very bad injuries and that hasn’t allowed him to have the consistency we need from a very important player.”
Arteta is absolutely right, in describing Gabriel Jesus as someone who has dealt with a lot of injuries, over the course of his career. However he just keeps coming back, fighting through real adversity mutliple times.
“He is back and his fighting spirit, his desire to always prepare in the best way is unbelievable,” Arteta added. “The team is together now and we need to use it.”
For what it’s worth, when we made our first team prediction yesterday, we had Gabriel Jesus starting.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.