After a turbulent 12 months, Gabriel Jesus will be hoping this pre-season is a turning point.
The Arsenal striker spent nearly all last season plagued by a knee injury he picked up this time a year ago.
Jesus felt discomfort in his knee during pre-season last summer and, after been unable to shake it off, was forced to undergo surgery in August.
There were flashes of brilliance after that – most notably his performance away at Sevilla in the Champions League in October – but the Brazilian was never able to truly hit his stride.
The most matches he started in a row during last season was five and by the end of campaign Kai Havertz was Arsenal’s No9.
Jesus, however, has returned this season with fire in his belly and a point to prove.
The 27-year-old was on the scoresheet during Arsenal’s win over Manchester United last weekend and will be out to impress again when they face Liverpool in Philadelphia in the early hours of Thursday morning.
“He looks really good, he looks really sharp,” said Mikel Arteta, after Arsenal’s 2-1 over Manchester United in Los Angeles. “He’s changed a lot of things over the summer and he’s come back in top condition again.
“When you have that baseline, other things can be built but without that foundation we don’t have a player and he needs to be in that condition to get the best out of him.
“He’s realised that and I’m really happy with what he’s shown today again. You can see by the way he looks, the way he’s moving and you can see in his eyes that there’s a spark there.”
Jesus bright start to pre-season is no coincidence. The striker has worked hard during the summer break to ensure he returned in good shape. His knee was a constant concern last season and he revealed towards the end of the campaign how surgery could be needed.
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You can see by the way he looks, the way he’s moving and you can see in his eyes that there’s a spark there
MIKEL ARTETA ON GABRIEL JESUS
That, however, has not taken place this summer and instead, the 27-year-old has had the chance to get fully fit.
After being left out of Brazil’s squad for the Copa America, Jesus was able to rest before getting to work. He used the facilities at his former club Palmeiras, where he came through the youth ranks, before joining other members of Arsenal’s squad for a warm-weather training camp in Marbella.
Jesus also met with former Brazil winger Ze Roberto during the off-season. The pair are close after playing together at Palmeiras, with Ze Roberto having a big impact on Jesus in the formative years of his career.
“My last pre-season was not good because I was feeling my knee, so I had to have surgery and missed all of the pre-season,” said Jesus. “So, I was trying to force it during that pre-season, but at the end I couldn’t and had surgery. That was a little bit difficult after to come back, but this season is different.
“I could enjoy my holidays and then I trained a lot, and I was focused to come back well and do a good pre-season. Now I’m in different shape and can play football again.”
A fit and firing Jesus is music to Arteta’s ears. Havertz may have excelled as Arsenal’s striker in the second half of last season, but he needs competition. When he is at his best, Jesus can provide that and, crucially, he also offers depth across the whole forward line.
Towards the end of last season, it was noticeable how Arteta deployed the Brazilian out wide, which is a role he played at Manchester City.
Given Arsenal’s packed schedule this season, it would not be a surprise to see Jesus used out there again – especially given his excellent work-rate off the ball.
When Jesus joined Arsenal two years ago, Arteta remarked how he “changed our world”.
Since then, the landscape has altered and now it is up to Jesus to prove he will not be left behind as Arteta’s project continues to move forward.
