Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhães is facing a spell on the sidelines after suffering a thigh injury while on international duty with Brazil, casting doubt over his availability for next Sunday’s north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur. The 27-year-old limped off during a 2-0 friendly win against Senegal at the Emirates Stadium, and scans have since revealed a muscle injury in his right thigh.
Brazil confirmed on Sunday that Gabriel has withdrawn from their squad and will not travel for Tuesday’s friendly against Tunisia in Lille, instead returning to his club for treatment. Arsenal are expected to assess the injury cautiously, but there are fears he could be absent for a significant period, dealing a blow to Mikel Arteta’s title ambitions.
Gabriel has been ever-present in the Premier League this season, playing every minute of the campaign. His absence would be keenly felt in a defence that has conceded just five goals in 11 league games and had kept eight consecutive clean sheets in all competitions before a 2-2 draw at Sunderland. Arteta has options in Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapié, but their relative inexperience could be tested against Tottenham.
The injury concerns do not end there for Arsenal. Riccardo Calafiori also withdrew from Italy’s squad with minor issues, while captain Martin Ødegaard remains a major doubt after Norway manager Ståle Solbakken admitted the midfielder is “some distance away” from playing again. However, Arteta may receive a boost with Gabriel Martinelli and Viktor Gyökeres potentially returning from injury to strengthen his attacking options.
Long-term absentees Kai Havertz and Noni Madueke are also closing in on returns from knee injuries, with Arteta saying last week: “It will be a huge boost for the squad to have those players available again after such a long, long time. We need to get players back because we are missing seven players in the front line for the last two months.”
