Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said Danny Welbeck could feature in Saturday's FA Cup third round tie at Preston North End.
Welbeck, 26, has been sidelined since May with a serious knee injury but has been back training with the first team.
Wenger said at his news conference: "I haven't decided yet, but he could be [in line to play at Preston] -- it depends on Lucas a little bit, it also depends on how he feels.
"Physically his fitness is at quite a good level, but of course the ideal way is to give him two or three games with the under-23s. But the situation is not always ideal, sometimes you have to hurry up."
Perez picked up an ankle injury in Tuesday's 3-3 draw at Bournemouth while Francis Coquelin has been ruled out for up to four weeks with a hamstring problem.
Welbeck signed for Arsenal from Manchester United in 2014 and has since made 36 Premier League appearances, scoring eight goals.