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'He needs time': Mikel Arteta calls for Arsenal fans to be patient with Gabriel Jesus when he returns from three-month lay-off with a knee injury... as Gunners boss refuses to confirm whether the Brazilian will play on Thursday night

Mikel Arteta has warned Arsenal supporters that Gabriel Jesus will need time to rediscover his best once the striker makes his much-anticipated return from injury.

The Brazilian, who has been out since suffering a knee injury at last year’s World Cup, trained with his team-mates on Wednesday before the team flew to Portugal for Thursday's Europa League last-16 first leg with Sporting.

Arteta would not confirm whether Jesus is part of the touring party but the manager said: ‘He needs time as well to get himself that confidence and that physical state that is necessary to compete with a free mind and once he’s free to do that, we will throw him in.