One Arsenal player will now miss his next two matches after picking up an injury which will have Mikel Arteta very concerned.
Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes will not feature for Brazil in this international break.
As reported by Metro, Gabriel has been withdrawn from the Brazil squad, and will miss their upcoming friendly matches against England and Spain.
Journalist Sami Mokbel, reporting on X, has since shed more light on the situation. He stated that the centre-back has been carrying a foot problem for some time, and his exclusion from international duties on this occasion is more of a “precaution” than anything else. He also revealed that the player’s problem is “genuine but not ‘too bad.’”
Mikel Arteta will be desperately hoping that Gabriel is fit to face Manchester City on March 31st. Alongside William Saliba, he is one half of what has been described as the best centre-back partnership in the Premier League. Arsenal have been in a class of their own defensively this season, largely thanks to the efforts of Gabriel and Saliba.
Up against the likes of Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, and Kevin De Bruyne, amongst others, in this potentially title race-defining clash at the Etihad Stadium, the Gunners will need to be at their best defensively. To be without Gabriel for this trip to the north west would be a huge blow.
Gabriel Magalhaes and Thomas Partey both focusing on fitness with Arsenal
Hopefully, the 26-year-old can now use this international break to rest and recover, so that by the time the Gunners are back in action against Manchester City he is fit and firing on all cylinders again.
In general, Arteta and Arsenal fans will be on tenterhooks throughout this international break period, desperately hoping none of their players succumb to injury. Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, and Aaron Ramsdale are all on duty with England. Meanwhile, Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jorginho, Martin Odegaard, David Raya, Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz, and Saliba are all also away with their national team squads.
Meanwhile, Thomas Partey will be remaining in north London. The midfielder asked to be excused from international duty with Ghana in order to focus on rebuilding his fitness. The 30-year-old has barely featured for Arsenal this season due to injury, but he will be needed in the run-in. As such, he has opted to focus upon getting his body properly back into match-shape.