Mikel Arteta has challenged Gabriel Jesus to find his own motivation as Arsenal continue to be linked to a forward this summer.

The Brazilian scored as Arsenal beat Manchester United 2-1 in a pre-season friendly at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. It was the first time he had found the net in a Gunners shirt since scoring in a 2-1 victory against Nottingham Forest in January.

Jesus has struggled with injuries since returning early from the Qatar World Cup with a knee problem that required surgery. Since then the 27-year-old has had multiple further procedures and admitted in March that he “couldn’t remember the last time he wasn’t playing in pain.”

With Jesus’ struggles for form and fitness Arsenal have been continuously linked with signing a new forward this summer. Arteta though has insisted this cannot be what motivates the Brazilian as he seeks to get back to his best.

“I think that motivation has to come within himself, with his self demands and how much better he is able to make the team,” he told reporters in Los Angeles. “He has shown it. He transformed the energy and the belief of that team and he has got it there.

“If he is waiting for something external to motivate him, I think it is going to be for a really short period. If it something internally that is happening, that is going to last long and it is going to be consistent. Hopefully that is the case.”

Despite rumours that Jesus would undergo another surgery over the summer after missing out on Brazil’s Copa America squad, it is understood that he did not go under the knife again. Instead though, the former Manchester City striker has come back in better physical shape than ever before, and Arteta feels this will be key to ensuring he has a good season.

“He looks really good,” the Spaniard said. “He looks really sharp. He has changed a lot of things over the summer. He has come in top condition again. And when you have that baseline, other things can be built but without that foundation you don’t have a player. He needs to be in that condition to get the best out of him. He has realised that. And I’m really happy with what he’s shown today again.”

“It is a fact and you can see,” Arteta added when pressed on what had changed about Jesus. “The way he looks, his rhythm, his sharpness, the way he is moving. And you can see in his eyes as well that there is again some spark there because he has got now a point to prove and that is good.”

Despite Jesus’ impressive return it is understood that Arsenal are still in the market for a forward this summer. Riccardo Calafiori is set to become their second summer signing in the coming days and is expected to join up with the squad for the final leg of their pre-season tour of the United States in Philadelphia.