Gabriel Jesus needs to reclaim his place in the Arsenal team

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta described the return of Gabriel Jesus from injury as a “huge boost” but warned the Brazil international will need to reclaim his place in the team as they bid for the Premier League title.

The Gunners restored their five-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the table with a comfortable 3-0 win at Fulham on Sunday, as first-half goals from Gabriel, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard secured the points.

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Leandro Trossard provided three assists in an impressive display as Arsenal centre-forward before being replaced in the final 13 minutes by Jesus, who made his debut for the club since 5 November following knee surgery.

“[It is a] big boost [to have him back],” said Arteta. “The first step today. We didn’t know if today was the right game. He said to me a few days ago, ‘I’m still missing something.’ Yesterday I looked into his eyes and he said ‘I’m ready.’ I said OK.’

“So we had the opportunity to throw him in. It’s the first step to give him the big boost. He looks clear, he looks ready and immediately generated those two big chances. It’s great to have him back .”

“[But] he has to earn his place like any other team. We have alternatives who can play in different positions and we also have different goals that we have to meet in terms of player chemistry and what we ask of them. It’s a big problem, believe me.

“We’re trying to adapt to the quality of players we have, trying to get them as much as possible into their strengths and positions where we want Leo [Leandro Trossard] has completely different qualities than Gabi, Martin [Odegaard] complements him really well in terms of space and understanding with him. It’s great to have that versatility.”