Gabriel Jesus, Getty Images November 29, 2025, 12:33 AM

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has revealed that Gabriel Jesus is “very close” to a return to action, but the club is being cautious about the exact date of his return. This is reported by The Athletic.

The 28-year-old forward has already missed 11 months with a torn ACL suffered against Manchester United in January. He stepped up his recovery in recent weeks and even took part in a behind-closed-doors match.

“It really happened. Gabi was playing. So was Ethan [Нванері]because he wanted to spend some time on the field, and we had such an opportunity thanks to other players who needed game practice and competition. This is very positive.

Is Jesus ready to return to the field in an open match? Let’s see. He hasn’t played in 11 months and needs a gradual progression to see how his body and knee respond to the load and what else he needs. And also considering the available players, it should be a balanced decision considering the balance of the squad. The good news is that he is now very close to returning.

We evaluate his condition every day and how he reacts to increased workload. In addition, he needs to find mutual understanding with the team, to understand game moments, which is fundamentally different from training. Our task is to reduce this difference to a minimum,” Arteta said at the pre-match press conference before the game against Chelsea.

The match between Chelsea and Arsenal will take place on Sunday, November 30, at 18:30 Kyiv time.