Arsenal are hoping to have Gabriel Jesus back in the squad before the international break in three weeks, according to a report.

To begin with the bad news, Football.London report that it’s unlikely Gabriel Jesus will be back in the Arsenal squad for Wednesday’s clash with Everton or Saturday’s fixture against Bournemouth.

But the positive slant on Football.London’s update is that Arsenal have finally set a target for Jesus’ return, after repeatedly refusing to do so in the past.

The Gunners are reportedly hopeful of having Jesus back before the international break begins on March 20th, leaving a few possible fixtures for a return.

Arsenal play Sporting CP away on March 9th, Fulham away on March 12th, Sporting CP at home on March 16th, and Crystal Palace at home on March 19th.

In addition to those fixtures, the report mentions that it’s possible Arsenal could use u21 fixtures to boost Jesus’ fitness, as they’ve just done with Emile Smith Rowe and Jakub Kiwior.

The u21s play Liverpool at home on March 6th, Brentford away on March 13th, and Crystal Palace away on March 17th before the international break. So all three games will take place locally.

Mikel Arteta’s last update on Jesus was also a positive one, so it shouldn’t be too long now until the Gunners’ star summer signing is available again.

“He’s progressing really well,” Arteta said on Friday. “He’s doing more and more on the field and he’s not reacting [negatively], so that’s really positive.

“We want to have him as quickly as possible but also respect the timeframe we got from the doctor and the specialists. He’s really pushing the boundaries right now.”