Gabriel Jesus got almost 20 minutes under his belt at Fulham on Sunday

GABRIEL Jesus is back – but for the time being, at least, the Brazilian striker will have to make do with a place on the Arsenal substitutes bench.

Jesus came on for the closing stages of the Gunners 3-0 victory at Fulham on Sunday to make his first appearance for the club since November following successful knee surgery.

But the north Londoners have coped so well in his absence that Mikel Arteta has warned the 25-year-old that he won’t just be waltzing back into the team.

Reflecting on Jesus’s second coming, the Arsenal boss said: “[It’s a] big boost! His first steps today and we didn’t know whether it was the right game for him. A few days ago, he told me he was missing something and then yesterday he looked me in the eyes and told me he was ready.

“Then today we had the opportunity to throw him in because it’s that first step to give him the boost. He looked free and generated two big chances straightaway, and it’s great to have him back.

“Now he needs to earn his place like anyone else in the team. We have alternatives that can play in different positions and we have different roles 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.”

One of those players oozing class, and an almost instant chemistry with his new teammates, is January signing Leandro Trossard.

The Belgian, who has been alternating with Gabriel Martinelli as a false nine, produced a player-of-the-match performance at Craven Cottage, setting up all three of Arsenal’s goals as they re-established their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.

Heaping praise on Trossard in his press conference, Arteta said: “When we talk about composure and finding the right pass, and looking to the right player in the box, it’s very blurry and some other players make rash decisions, and he created three goals.

“He could have scored two – I think he was really impressive. Not only that, he had an jury only a few days ago and that injury could have taken a week or 10 days. He was really willing to come back early, the physios and doctors did really well to do that. That changes things in the team, and we needed him today, his contribution was superb.”