Leandro Trossard living up to Mikel Arteta’s ‘wild dreams’ as Arsenal boss

Mikel Arteta heaped praise on Leandro Trossard and fit-again Gabriel Jesus after Arsenal restored their eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a 4-1 win over Leeds United.

Jesus scored twice on his first start since November following a knee injury sustained at the World Cup, while Trossard — moved out wide with Bukayo Saka starting on the bench — proved his versatility.

Only Kevin De Bruyne (12) has provided more assists from open play than Trossard’s eight in the Premier League this season and Arteta said that the Belgium international signed from Brighton in January had more than matched his high expectations.

Asked whether in his wildest dreams he could have imagined Trossard playing so well, Arteta quipped: “I have very wild dreams! No, seriously, we knew about his quality and what he could bring to the team.

“We are really pleased with him; he can play on the right, he can play on the left, he can play as an attacking midfielder, as a No 9, a false nine. He’s really contributing to the team and he really takes a lot of responsibility in games to make things happen and we love that.

“We have players now who need a little bit of space and freedom and those interactions, I think, contribute to the team and make the opponent more conscious and worried about those rotations.

“It’s a little more difficult for them to defend and they (our players) also like it; they feel better, they feel free doing it and they have our blessing to do it.”

Jesus was substituted in the second half and left the pitch to a standing ovation, with goals from Ben White and Granit Xhaka adding to the Brazilian’s double.

“Delighted for him. They all were. We were all clapping for him,” Arteta said. “He’s been working so hard for the last four or five months with a lot of support from the team and the staff.

“He deserved the chance to start. He grabbed the opportunity with a lot of conviction and with two goals.”

Saka was named on the bench after illness, while Arteta revealed White had also been struggling, but the Arsenal boss praised his squad’s resilience as they edged closer to a first Premier League title since 2004 with nine games left to play.

Asked about a sickness bug, he said: “It was an issue that we had with some of the international players and players we had here, but it happens. It was part of the context of the game and we used it in the right way. Players are so willing to step up and play in any context, which is great.

“We need everybody. We’ve had long-term injuries and the team needs…