Mikel Arteta says Gabriel Jesus is ready to start again for Arsenal after recently returning from a long-term injury.
The forward missed a year with an anterior cruciate ligament injury but has now made three appearances as a substitute.
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Arteta says he is ready to play a bigger role ahead of the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace.
“Yes, he is,” the Arsenal boss replied when asked if he was ready to start.
“You can see now not only in the games but in training every day how much he wants it. So he’s going to get his chance very soon.”
Asked if he was surprised at how quickly Jesus adapted to return to action, Arteta said: “No, because I watched him when he was seven months old and the way he moves and his desire to play.
“I think he wrote a beautiful letter explaining what football means to him and how it affects his life. I think it’s a beautiful thing.”
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Arteta also said Jesus could offer his team something completely different to other forwards.
“I think that’s probably Gabby’s greatest quality, bringing people together, connecting with people, giving opponents a lot of uncertainty,” he said.
“When you saw him today (against Everton) you saw the amount of space he was involved in, that’s his biggest quality. So we need to exploit that.
“I think his fighting spirit, his desire to always prepare in the best possible way is incredible. The team has that spirit now and we need to capitalize on it.”
