Calum Chambers has returned to action for Arsenal.
The 25-year-old played the first-half alongside William Saliba as the U21's beat Gillingham in the Papa John's Trophy - formerly known as the EFL Trophy - on Tuesday evening.
Chambers was replaced at half-time by Levi Laing and watched on from the sidelines as the youngsters recorded a penalty shootout win following a 1-1 draw in normal time.
It was the versatile defender's first appearance for Arsenal at any level since December 29 when he suffered a serious knee injury during the 2-1 loss at the hands of Chelsea in the Premier League.
Chambers required surgery which ruled him out for the remainder of the 2019/20 season and he had been expected to return to first-team action towards the end of the calendar year.
But 317 days after suffering the injury blow, he has taken a massive step in his road to recovery and could soon be available to Gunners manager Mikel Arteta.
Despite being back in full training alongside the likes of Rob Holding, William Saliba, David Luiz, and Kieran Tierney for a few weeks, Chambers has not been in contention for selection.
Although, the situation could change as he works towards getting his match fitness back after such a long time out.
After making his return to action, Chambers took to social media and shared his delight at being able to get an important 45 minutes under his belt.
"The rehab road continues!," he wrote on Instagram.
"Pleased to get 45 minutes under my belt tonight."
Having the 25-year-old available for selection again will increase Arteta's options at centre-back.
Currently, Arteta can choose between Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, David Luiz, Holding, and Shkodran Mustafi, with Pablo Mari also close to being fully fit.
Furthermore, Chambers can also be an option at right-back and perhaps in central midfield after impressing in a new role during last week's pre-Aston Villa training session.
