Arsenal fear that Gabriel Magalhães could miss at least a month after suffering a thigh injury on international duty with Brazil, dealing a major blow to the Premier League leaders during a key stretch of the season.
The 27-year-old limped off in Brazil’s 2-0 win over Senegal at the Emirates Stadium and has since undergone further tests, which are ongoing. While the club has yet to confirm an exact timeline, Gabriel is expected to miss the north London derby against Tottenham on Sunday and the Champions League clash with Bayern Munich three days later.
Depending on the severity of the muscle injury, Arsenal worry he could be out for more than a month. That would rule him out of league fixtures against Chelsea, Brentford and Aston Villa, as well as the Champions League trip to Club Brugge on 10 December. Matches against Wolves and Everton later in the month may also come too soon.
Gabriel has been ever-present for Arsenal in the Premier League this season, anchoring a defence that has conceded just five goals in 11 games and recorded eight straight clean sheets before the 2-2 draw with Sunderland. His absence comes as Arsenal already deal with injuries to Martin Ødegaard, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli.
Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapié are candidates to step in for Sunday’s derby. Up front, doubt also remains over Viktor Gyökeres, who missed the club’s last two matches with a hamstring issue.
Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann added further concern by revealing Kai Havertz suffered a “minor relapse” in his knee recovery, though he is expected back before the end of the year.
With Arsenal pushing for the title and managing a growing injury list, Mikel Arteta’s squad depth is set for a stern test in the weeks ahead.
