Mikel Arteta says he is concerned about Gabriel’s injury after the defender was forced off in Arsenal's 2-1 defeat to Southampton in the FA Cup.
The Brazilian international was taken off late in the second half after going down with an apparent left knee issue, in another bitter blow for the Gunners, whose treble hopes ended on Saturday.
Despite dominating possession and fielding a strong squad, Arsenal struggled to break down a resilient Saints side and were stung by a late goal from Shea Charles.
Tonda Eckert’s side inflicted back-to-back defeats on Arsenal for the first time this season, with the Gunners also losing the Carabao Cup final to Manchester City a fortnight ago.
Arteta Concerned About Gabriel’s Injury
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta during Mansfield Town v Arsenal
Speaking post-match, Arteta refused to go into detail on Gabriel’s injury, with the club set to assess the Brazilian further after he went down in the second half of Saturday’s defeat.
“I don't know – he felt something.
“Don't know exactly what it is but we're going to have to assess him. Obviously when a player is asking to be substituted, it's never good news.”
The international break saw 11 Arsenal players withdraw from their national teams because of injury, including Gabriel, who complained of pain in his right knee following the 2-0 defeat to Manchester City at Wembley.
The Brazilian ultimately decided not to travel with the national team to the USA for two friendlies and was a doubt heading into Saturday’s defeat.
Arsenal will hope to have a largely fit squad when they travel to Portugal next week to face Sporting in the Champions League quarter-finals.
The north London side remain in a commanding position going into the final seven games of the Premier League, nine points clear of Manchester City.
Arsenal Hold Talks Over New Signing
Andrea Berta
Arsenal appear to be interested in signing Bayer Leverkusen forward Christian Kofane ahead of the summer.
According to reports, the Gunners are closely monitoring the 19-year-old forward amid his promising debut season in Germany, with seven goals and eight assists in 39 appearances across all competitions.
Leverkusen only welcomed Kofane from Spanish second-tier club Albacete last year and are reportedly demanding a fee in the region of €60–70m (£52–61m) for the Cameroonian this summer.
Amid transfer rumours, Kofane’s agent has revealed Arsenal’s admiration for his client is genuine, revealing the two camps have already held talks over a summer move.
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Arsenal exited a second cup competition in as many matches with a 2-1 FA Cup defeat against Southampton.