Gabriel Jesus has suggested his recovery from injury is on track, with Mikel Arteta reporting that the issue isn’t as bad as first feared.

Arsenal news - LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 28: Gabriel Jesus of Arsenal acknowledges the fans with family after the team's victory after the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Emirates Stadium on May 28, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND: Gabriel Jesus of Arsenal acknowledges the fans with family after the team’s victory after the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Emirates Stadium on May 28, 2023. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Gabriel Jesus was in attendance at Wembley on Sunday as Arsenal took on Manchester City in the Community Shield, but the striker is currently out of action following a knee procedure.

The positive news is that the centre-forward reported that he’s “all good” when questioned by reporters after the game on how his recovery is going.

Dom Smith reports that Mikel Arteta added that the problem is not as bad as first feared, though the player is obviously not back to full fitness just yet and was still limping a little.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 28: Gabriel Jesus of Arsenal celebrates with team mate Jakub Kiwior after scoring their sides fourth goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Emirates Stadium on May 28, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND: Gabriel Jesus of Arsenal celebrates with teammate Jakub Kiwior after scoring their side’s fourth goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Emirates Stadium on May 28, 2023. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

That all seems like good news, after a bit of a rollercoaster of updates over the last week.

Fears were initially raised when Jesus was absent from training ahead of the Emirates Cup game last week, and they were then confirmed as Arsenal reported that he’d miss the game with a knee problem.

To make matters worse, Arteta told the media Jesus had undergone a procedure relating to irritation following his previous knee injury, though he added that it would only be an absence of a few weeks.

However, the Mirror then reported that Jesus could be out for as long as two months.

The hope is that Arteta’s latest statement – that the problem isn’t as bad as feared – means this won’t be the case.

Arsenal's Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus (C) celebrates with Arsenal's Belgian midfielder Leandro Trossard (R) and Arsenal's Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka after scoring his team's fourth goal during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Emirates Stadium in London on May 28, 2023.(Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus (C) celebrates with Leandro Trossard (R) and Granit Xhaka after scoring his team’s fourth goal during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Emirates Stadium in London on May 28, 2023. (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)

In the meantime, Arsenal are likely to use Eddie Nketiah, Leandro Trossard, or Kai Havertz up front, with Folarin Balogun also out injured and heavily linked with a transfer.

Havertz did a good job against Manchester City on Sunday, though it may be that he moves back into midfield for the games against lower-profile opposition when Arsenal expect to dominate the ball.

The sooner Jesus returns to give Arteta his full range of options, the better for the team.