Arsenal injury news: Gabriel Jesus features in Man Utd friendly win alongside forgotten Gunners star

Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus reportedly stepped up his return to first-team action by featuring in a friendly win over Manchester United's Under-21s on Saturday.

The 28-year-old has not touched a football in a senior game for Arsenal since January's FA Cup defeat to Manchester United, when he sustained a devastating ACL rupture.

Jesus has since spent the entirety of 2025 recovering from that crushing blow, but his rehabilitation has gone to plan, and he has been training with the first team for a number of weeks now.

The ex-Manchester City man was also surprisingly named on the bench for last weekend's 1-1 draw with Chelsea, before also making the squad against Brentford in midweek.

However, Jesus did not travel with the team for Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa, as Leandro Trossard returned from his own injury to make the bench and score at Villa Park.

Gabriel Jesus and ex-Arsenal star 'feature' in Man Utd friendly win

Instead, the South American reportedly got some minutes behind closed doors as Arsenal beat Man Utd's Under-21s 3-0, according to journalist Nathan Salt.

Jesus was one of three notable names to feature for the Gunners, as 15-year-old Max Dowman was also in action, as was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The latter - a three-time FA Cup winner with the Gunners - has been training with the Arsenal youth team to maintain his fitness after being released by Turkish club Besiktas during the summer transfer window.

Further detail from Jeorge Bird on Arsenal Youth states that Dowman was on target for the North London club in the exhibition game, as was Charles Sagoe Jr.

Meanwhile, the Red Devils finished the game with just 10 men on the field, as 18-year-old James Overy was sent off for two bookable offences.

What does the future hold for Gabriel Jesus at Arsenal?

If everything goes to plan in the final stages of Jesus's recovery, the Brazilian could potentially make his competitive comeback for Arsenal before the end of 2025, as there are no more Premier League 2 games for the Under-21s until January now.

The ex-Palmeiras attacker will enter the last 18 months of his Gunners deal by the time January rolls around, though, and it would be a surprise to see him offered an extension.

Jesus has been urged by Palmeiras' president to "come home" to his boyhood team, but the striker has affirmed that it makes little sense to leave Arsenal midway through the season.

The 28-year-old can still offer something unique to the Arsenal attack when fully fit and may be an intriguing option in the second half of the season, but an exit in 2026 appears inevitable.