Mikel Arteta has ruled out the prospect of Gabriel Jesus leaving Arsenal in January.

The 28-year-old made his long-awaited return to first-team actions as a 62nd-minute substitute in Wednesday’s 3-0 Champions League win at Club Brugge.

Jesus had been sidelined since January after undergoing knee surgery and afterwards claimed “God saved my life” as he battled “11 months of helping myself and then feeling scared to come back different, maybe with some limitations.”

The striker faces tough competition to win back a regular starting spot, however, with €73 million ($85.6m) summer signing Viktor Gyökeres fit again and Kai Havertz nearing a return to full fitness following his own knee problem.

Without that trio, midfielder Mikel Merino has thrived as a makeshift centre-forward and the combination has led to speculation Jesus could seek a move in January in a bid to force his way into the Brazil squad for next summer’s World Cup finals.

However, speaking on Friday, Arteta was asked whether he would consider allowing Jesus, whose contract expires in the summer of 2027, to leave next month.

“No, I don’t consider that and especially with the situation we have right now,” replied Arteta. “I think Gabby has a lot to offer to the team and he is proving that straight away in the first minutes that he was available to play. He has put so much [in] to be in this position again and now the focus is to be with us.

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“A player of his quality, a player who has given us so much and when he comes with the energy he did the other day, he is certainly a player who has to be pushing and aiming [to start], that’s for sure.”

Arteta was typically guarded on his squad’s injuries, claiming Declan Rice, Jurriën Timber, William Saliba and Leandro Trossard will all be assessed before determining if they can face Wolves on Saturday.

Wolves are rock-bottom in the Premier League having picked up just two points all season and when asked how to guard against complacency, Arteta said: “By understanding that a team in that position has to react and show their teeth. |That’s a dangerous thing in this league and when every team has the quality they have. So [being complacent] is not going to happen.”

KOLKATA: Lionel Messi will unveil a 21-metre (70-foot) statue of himself in India on Saturday as he embarks on a three-day tour of the country that has sparked a fan frenzy.

The iron sculpture in Kolkata, which shows Messi holding aloft the World Cup, is part of a so-called GOAT Tour that will take in four Indian cities and a possible meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The 38-year-old Argentina and Inter Miami superstar will unveil the monument virtually rather than in person for security reasons.

A “Hola Messi” fan zone has also been set up in Kolkata where on display is a life-sized replica of Messi sat on a throne.

The hall also recreates his Miami home, complete with mannequins of his family members.

Football fan Samir Nandy said it would be “a dream come true” to catch a glimpse of his idol.

“Legends are not made by success alone. It is his resilience that made me believe in him,” Nandy, 64, said in Kolkata.

“The statue is a fitting tribute to him.”

Monty Paul, the statue’s main sculptor, told AFP the structure was built inside 40 days.

“It’s a matter of pride to build the sculpture of Messi. It’s the tallest statue I have made,” he said.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner will also meet Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and former India cricket captain Saurav Ganguly during his whirlwind trip to Kolkata.

Ahead of his arrival, Messi said it was an honour to visit India and interact with the fans.

“India is a very special country and I have good memories from my time there 14 years ago — the fans were fantastic,” Messi said in an official statement.

“India is a passionate football nation and I look forward to meeting a new generation of fans while sharing the love I have for this beautiful game.”

After Kolkata, where Messi will play a short friendly match, he will head to Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi.

In Hyderabad he will attend a concert in his honour and play another friendly.

He is reportedly scheduled to meet Modi in the capital.

Messi won his second consecutive Major League Soccer Most Valuable Player award this week after propelling Inter Miami to the MLS title and leading the league in goals.

The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain attacker will spearhead Argentina’s defence of the World Cup in June-July in North America.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles blasted his players and challenged them to “look in the mirror” after his team blew a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter and lost 29-28 to the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night at Raymond James Stadium.

The Bucs (7-7) lost for the fifth time in six games to fall a half-game behind the Carolina Panthers in the NFC South.

“You don’t make excuses,” Bowles said in an expletive-laden reaction. “You got to f—ing care enough where the s— hurts. It’s got to f—ing mean something to you. It’s more than a job. It’s your f—ing livelihood. How well do you know your job? How well can you do your job? You can’t sugarcoat that s—.”

After the Falcons cut a 14-point deficit to 28-20 on Bijan Robinson‘s 6-yard touchdown run with under 10 minutes left, Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield was picked off by Dee Alford on the ensuing drive. Atlanta then drove 67 yards for a score, missing the 2-point conversion to make it 28-26.

The Falcons forced the Buccaneers to punt and got the ball at their 30 with no timeouts and 1:49 to go. Facing a third-and-28 on their final drive, quarterback Kirk Cousins completed passes of 14 yards to Kyle Pitts Sr. and 20 yards on fourth-and-14 to David Sills V to set up Zane Gonzalez‘s 43-yard field goal as time expired.

Bowles called the loss “inexcusable” and put the onus on the Bucs’ players to execute.

“At this point you’ve seen everything in the season,” Bowles said. “The coaches have done everything they can do. This is a player-driven team in the last four or five weeks. You’ve got to execute, and they’ve got to hold each other accountable. As a coach, you can sit there until you’re blue in the face. Until they start holding each other accountable and doing the little things right — and that’s not everybody, you know, we’re talking about a small, select few. But the small, select few is what’s getting us beat. And until that happens, it’s not going to get right.”

According to ESPN Analytics, the Bucs’ chances of winning the NFC South fall to 35% if the Panthers win against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday; they rise to 76% if the Panthers lose.

Mayfield had all of his wide receivers available for the first time this season after six-time Pro Bowl pick Mike Evans and second-year pro Jalen McMillan were activated from injured reserve.

He shouldered the blame for Thursday night’s loss.

“This one is going to haunt me. It falls on my shoulders,” Mayfield said. “It’s not the defense’s fault. It’s my fault.”

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.