Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has provided an update on Gabriel Magalhaes following his injury while playing for Brazil earlier this month, which has kept him out of action for the Gunners
Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes is not fit enough for Sunday’s Premier League clash against Chelsea, Mikel Arteta has confirmed.
The centre-back was forced to miss last week’s 4-1 north London derby win over Tottenham and the 3-1 Champions League win over Bayern Munich after picking up a muscular problem during the international break.
Initial tests indicated he would face at least one month out of action. Speaking ahead of the huge top-two clash with Chelsea, Arteta confirmed Gabriel would miss the trip to Stamford Bridge.
The Arsenal boss was pressed on whether there was a timeline, given the reports he could be out until January, and he said on Friday: “Yeah not yet, I think he’s evolving really, really well.
“We have to wait for that scan a little bit longer to be more precise in terms of the timings. But I’m quite confident that, especially the way Gabi takes every injury and the way he’s going to push everybody, that it’s not going to be that long.”
In response to whether Arsenal fans might see Gabriel back before the end of the year, Arteta added: “I don’t know. We have to wait and see.”
It’s understood that Gabriel will have a further scan to establish a clear picture of his recovery. However, the Gunners’ business in the summer to bring Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hinacpie means Arteta isn’t short in defence.
“I don’t know, obviously he’s a big, big player for us but the good thing is that we have experienced that,” said Arteta.
“Last year, in the most crucial moment of the season, we were without him for three months and the team managed to remain super competitive.
“We won a lot of matches, we were defensively really good against very, very tough opponents, so we need to do it again.”
Elsewhere, Arsenal have been handed further clarity on their other injury problems. Leandro Trossard will undergo further tests to understand the extent of his injury sustained in midweek.
The attacker suffered a problem in his calf during the 3-1 Champions League over Bayern. He lasted just 38 minutes and is now facing an anxious wait on further assessments.
“With Leo there is another test today, it didn’t look much,” Arteta said. “There is a potential chance he could be available.”
However, Arteta remained tight-lipped on Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz. “Yeah, we have another day tomorrow. So let’s see how it goes.”
When pushed if their midweek scans can be clear, he added: “Clear, not yet. But they are getting closer and closer.”
