Mikel Arteta has hailed the ‘toughness’ of Gabriel Jesus after revealing that the Arsenal star has been playing with ‘pain’ in recent weeks.
Jesus didn’t play a single minute of Premier League football in February after picking up a knee injury, returning for the 6-0 win over Sheffield United in March.
The Brazilian played 26 minutes in that game and was then handed another 20 minutes in Arsenal’s following top-flight fixture as they won 2-1 at Brentford.
Jesus returned to the starting XI for the 0-0 draw against title rivals Manchester City – suggesting he was back to full fitness – but was then rested for the 2-0 victory over Luton Town to spark questions over how fresh he really was.
In Arsenal’s last Premier League match, a 3-0 win over Brighton last week, Jesus played 64 minutes and Arteta has now provided an injury update on his forward.
‘In elite sport to play without pain is very difficult, especially at the level that we play,’ the Arsenal manager said ahead of Sunday’s clash against Aston Villa.
‘If you ask any player, they will say that sometimes there is pain and they have to deal with that.
‘That makes you as well, and Gabby has this toughness and character that he always wants to overcome.
‘He has overcome some difficulties in terms of injuries and he is ready again.’
Meanwhile, Arteta was quizzed if Arsenal star Kai Havertz needed convincing to flourish as a No.9, having started off in midfield when he joined the Gunners.
