Mikel Arteta insists returning Gabriel Jesus has to 'earn his place' in Arsenal XI

Gabriel Jesus needs to reclaim his place in the Arsenal side after returning from injury, Mikel Arteta has outlined. Jesus returned to the pitch against Fulham following a long injury spell on the sidelines. The Gunners had no issues in getting past their London opponents as they blanked the Cottagers 3-0 to restore their 5-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.

Mikel Arteta insisted Gabriel Jesus' place on the team is not guaranteed

Jesus missed a long portion of the season after getting injured in the World Cup and he also had to be operated on but has now returned to full fitness. His return will definitely boost the Gunners who have shown no intentions to stop their charge in the English top flight. A five-point cushion should be enough to put them on the brink of their first Premier League title since 2003-04.

The return of Jesus has added another option to Arteta's disposal but the Arsenal manager insisted the Brazilian has to prove his worth if he wants to get selected in the starting lineup. "[It is a] big boost [to have him back].

"The first step today. We didn't know if it was the right game today. He said to me a few days ago 'I'm still missing something.' Yesterday I looked in his eyes and he said 'I'm ready.' I said 'OK.'

"So then we had the opportunity to throw him in. It's that first step to give him the big boost. He looks free, he looks ready and straight away he generated those two big chances. It's great to have him back."

He went on to add, "[But] he has to earn his place like in any other team. We have alternatives who can play in different positions and we have different goals as well to fill in relation to the chemistry of the players and what we ask them to do. It's a great problem to have, believe me.

"We try to adapt to the quality of players that we have, to put them in their strengths and position where we want as much as possible. Leo [Leandro Trossard] has very different qualities to Gabi, Martin [Odegaard] complements him really well in terms of the space and understanding with him. It's great to have that versatility."