Mikel Arteta is delighted to have Gabriel Jesus back in his side and available for selection after the striker marked his long-awaited return against Fulham.
Jesus underwent surgery on a serious knee injury that he sustained against Cameroon during his first start at the Qatar World Cup for Brazil and was subsequently ruled out of action for both club and country.
He missed 15 matches across the Premier League, Europa League and FA Cup for Arsenal but returned for his first Gunners appearance in 123 days in their 3-0 demolishment of Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday.
Speaking ahead of Arsenal's second-leg round of 16 Europa League clash against Sporting Lisbon that see's the tie level at 2-2, team manager Arteta revealed Jesus' resurgence is creating a feel-good factor within the squad.
'It was great to see him [Jesus] back you can feel the happiness of everyone around him. We missed him and now he’s back,' said Arteta.
'We have to manage his minutes, his involvement. He’s feeling good and every day he’s training he says his sensations are better so that’s really positive.
Jesus came of the bench in the weekend's London derby and enjoyed a comfortable 13-minute cameo with Arsenal well on top after largely settling the tie with three first-half goals.
He is expected to play a larger part in Thursday's Europa League showdown and will be aiming to get a first start under his belt against Arsenal's Portuguese opponents.
Jesus' absence was expected to derail the Gunners Premier League title campaign given he had played considerable minutes in every top-flight match prior to his injury.
However, Arsenal have been on a course to success this season with the likes of Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson temporarily filling the goals void left by the 25-year-old.
However, Arteta revealed that Jesus and Nketiah now look likely to see their roles swap as the latter recovers from an ankle injury sustained at the start of March.
The Gunners boss explained the English forward is still recovering and is wearing a protective boot, adding: 'It’s getting better [Nketiah's injury]. He’s still in the boot.
'He’s still a few weeks away and we need to be patient. It was a nasty injury and he has a big challenge ahead of him. Thank God it’s not as bad as it could have been.