"He's ready to go" - Mikel Arteta confirms Arsenal star is fit and available to play against Fulham after long injury layoff
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said that striker Gabriel Jesus is available for the Premier League clash against Fulham at the Emirates on Saturday (August 26).
Jesus is yet to feature this season, having undergone a knee surgery earlier this summer. He suffered a knee injury with Brazil during the 2022 FIFA World Cup and was out of action for a couple of months.
The striker returned to action in March but had some discomfort in the same knee earlier this summer. He underwent surgery and is now set to be back in action, though.
In a pre-match press conference, Arsenal manager Arteta said (via Fabrizio Romano):
“Gabriel Jesus? He’s ready to go, yes."
Jesus, 26, joined the north London side from Manchester City for £45 million last summer. He scored 11 goals and eight assists in 33 games across competitions last season.
In Jesus' absence, Arteta chose to deploy Eddie Nketiah as the main striker in Arsenal's first two Premier League games this season. The Englishman scored in their 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest and won the crucial penalty in a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace.
Folarin Balogun, meanwhile, is set to leave the north London side to join AS Monaco (via David Ornstein).
Arsenal defender Ben White previews clash against Fulham
After winning both of their Premier League game, the Gunners host Fulham in a London derby on Saturday.
The Cottagers won their first game 1-0 at Everton, but lost 3-0 against Brentford at home last week. Arsenal, meanwhile, beat Nottingham Forest 2-1 at home before beating Crystal Palace 1-0 at Selhurst Park.
In an interview on the club's website, Ben White shared his thoughts on the upcoming London derby, saying:
“It’s going to be a tough game. They’re going to be coming to Arsenal wanting to get some points, so it’s our job to do what we need to do."
He also opened up about their game against Palace, where they played with 10 men after Takehiro Tomiyasu received a second yellow card in the 67th minute. White said:
“We knew it was going to be a tough game (against Palace). They’re a very good side with a very good manager who knows what he’s doing. Especially with 10 men, it’s a hard place to go. I don’t think you’ve seen the best of what we can do. We’re looking to be better than last year."
The Gunners will be confident of their chances in the derby as they won both fixtures against Fulham last season.