Gabriel Jesus is still in the early stages of his comeback and it’s too soon to put a date on his on-field return, according to Mikel Arteta.

As well as Eddie Nketiah has done in Gabriel Jesus’ recent absence, Arsenal fans are still excited to have their summer signing back in the team at the tail end of the season.

It was arguably Jesus who provided the spark for Arsenal’s impressive campaign so far.

Right from his pre-season introduction, when he came off the bench to help the team score three goals in 10 minutes to go from 2-0 down to 3-2 up, Jesus inspired his teammates to go up a gear.

Mikel Arteta’s side could use another boost like that for the final months of the campaign.

Jesus is almost ready to provide it, returning to London Colney this week after his knee injury.

But Arteta has tried to play down any hopes of an immediate comeback, arguing it’s still too soon to even give a return date.

“Gabby is doing really well,” Arteta began. “He’s already been outside a little bit but it’s still early stages.

“He keeps pushing everybody every single day, but we need to respect some timelines and processes. He’s doing really well.

“It’s still too far off [a return date].

“You have to see how he reacts now when you start to put some load to the knee and get some movement and actions that are not controlled as the ones he’s been doing and where he’s comfortable as well to go to the next stage.”

Arsenal won’t want to rush things, particularly given Nketiah’s positive form.

There’s no reason to risk a serious setback for Jesus for the sake of one or two games with a more-than-capable alternative leading the line.

Having said that, as soon as Jesus is really ready to contribute, Arsenal should certainly reap the rewards.