Arsenal could soon welcome Gabriel Jesus back into the squad after the former city star suffered a knee injury during the preseason tour.
Mikel Arteta‘s sides opened their 2023-24 campaign with a 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest before recording a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Monday night.
Arteta was able to hand Oleksandr Zinchenko has first competitive minutes of the season at Selhurst Park, while Folarin Balogun and Mohamed Elneny continued to miss out.
Arsenal Injury Update And Return Dates.
Jurrien Timber
Timber suffered an ACL injury against Forest on his Premier League debut, and the Netherlands international now faces a long recovery due to the seriousness of the damage.
Arteta appeared to confirm last week that Timber will miss the entire campaign.
He told reporters:
“It’s a huge blow, especially for him having just joined the club to have the injury that he has is a huge disappointment for him.
“Obviously for the team it’s a big blow because we recruited him with clear intentions and what he was bringing to the team was evident and he’s not going to be in this season for us.
We have to adapt, these things happen unfortunately, and we have to move on.”
Possible return date: Unknown
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Gabriel Jesus
Gabriel Jesus continues to close in on a return to match fitness after undergoing surgery on a knee injury.
The striker was ruled out for “a few weeks” earlier in August and Mikel Arteta confirmed ahead of Monday’s game at Crystal Palace that he was “still not available and not fit.”
Jesus was with the squad in a non-player capacity for the 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest,
seen limping through the mixed zone afterward and then posted a video of himself in the gym with the capion “done” accompanied by tick and muscle emojis.
It is hoped that Jesus could return before the international break in September.
Possible return date: September 2023
Folarin Balogun
Balogun was again absent from the squad at Palace.
However, amid speculation over his transfer future, the Mail say he was left out not due to a previous foot injury but due to his potential departure.
Possible return date: August 26
Mohamed Elneny
The Egyptian has been pictured in first-team training as he continues his recovery from a knee injury that has kept him on the sidelines since January.
However, he is yet to feature in an Arsenal squad this season.
Possible return date: Unknown
Albert Sambi Lokonga
Lokonga is still not available due to a muscular problem, with the midfielder potentially being out until after the September international break.
Possible return date: Unknown
