Gabriel has missed Arsenal's last nine matches across all competitions with a hamstring injury sustained while playing for Brazil in a friendly against Senegal
Matthew Abbott and Josh Holland Sport Central Audience Writer
08:00, 26 Dec 2025
Gabriel looks on from the bench
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Gabriel could be back sooner rather than later for Arsenal(Image: Javier Garcia/Shutterstock)
Injury analyst Ben Dinnery believes that Gabriel is very close to returning for Arsenal from his hamstring injury.
The defender has missed nine matches since sustaining a setback while playing for Brazil in a friendly against Senegal. Mikel Arteta provided an update about Gabriel's recovery before the Everton match.
He said: "He's pushing hard, as he always does every time he's out, and he's evolving really well. He's doing pitch sessions, so he's not too far.
"We have to see in the next stages of that rehab how he progresses, but we are quite positive about it." Dinnery has now said similar to Casino Beats.
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The injury analyst said: "For Gabriel, it was a substantial setback, but we're looking at the region of 4-6 weeks. He's a player who is approaching that end phase of rehab, so it's about mirroring them in game matchday movement patterns and placing the body under stress to see how it responds to that.
"It's all well and good doing that within the gym and outside, but you need to be integrated fully in the squad and involved in some small-sided games to make sure the body reacts how it should. Very close, all being well, barring any sort of major setbacks, Gabriel isn't too far away."
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On injuries more generally, Dinnery said: "The hamstring issue is by far the most common, and given the nature of the sport, they account for 42%-44% of all muscle injuries, but they are closely followed by adductors. Sharp, quick and explosive movement, the dynamic nature, and the kicking mechanism are all involved in those injuries.
"If you were to ask most footballers throughout the course of the season, I would suspect that the majority of them would admit to having suffered or at least playing with discomfort in and around that region. Whether it's enough to keep them out on the sidelines or needs to be managed, it's fairly common."
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Arteta spoke about managing his players during the festive period after the Crystal Palace match. He said: "I see it as a privilege, because of the attitude of the players, they make your job a joy. We had situations where we didn’t have a choice, and up front for many months, we had a situation, and now we have a situation in the backline.
"But it doesn’t matter. We have situations like Cristhian [Mosquera], like Kepa, like any player who is there constantly.
"Whatever the role that they have on the day or in training, they fulfil it. And then when they play, that’s what they do.
"And every player has to be with that mindset because you’re going to have a big role to play. You want to achieve what you want to achieve, and it’s going to be the only way.
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"So I’m very happy that everybody who is now available is with that mindset, with that attitude. And then when they have to play, they perform like they did today."