Arsenal will be without Gabriel Magalhaes for the rest of the season due to the hamstring injury he suffered in midweek.
The Brazil international sustained the injury during Tuesday night’s Premier League meeting with Fulham, forcing him to come off after just 15 minutes.
Arsenal have now confirmed that Gabriel is set to undergo surgery on his hamstring in the coming days, after which he will undergo rehabilitation.
The aim is for Gabriel ‘to be ready for the start of next season’, the Gunners confirmed in a statement.
Attention now turns to who Mikel Arteta will utilise at centre-back while Gabriel embarks on the road to recovery.
Arsenal have four primary options to replace Gabriel between now and the end of the season, along with a less orthodox one involving a player who is not a defender by trade.
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
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Jakub Kiwior the main option with Jurrien Timber, Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori in line depending on fitness
The most obvious option is Jakub Kiwior, who came on to replace Gabriel against Fulham. Him replacing Gabriel would be a straight swap with no rejigging needed.
However, Kiwior wasn’t brilliant on the night – indeed, he was partly at fault for the goal Arsenal conceded after failing to close Ryan Sessegnon down.
Kiwior has only started two Premier League games for the Gunners this season, and Arsenal are said to be willing to sell him this summer.
And Ian Wright has admitted he is worried about Kiwior having to play against Real Madrid, who could see the defender as a weak link in Arteta’s team.
The following three options would all be solid alternatives, but much depends on how quickly they can recover from their respective issues.
Jurrien Timber and Ben White would both be popular options, as they played at centre-back for much of their careers and have covered for Arsenal in that position before.
However, both are currently doubts due to knee issues, and the Gunners are yet to provide updates on either player, so it remains to be seen when they’re available again.
Riccardo Calafiori would certainly be a great shout to cover for Gabriel, as he’s also experienced at centre-back and, crucially, is left-footed like his teammate.
However, he is also nursing a knee injury, which is expected to rule him out for a number of weeks, so the likelihood is he might be able to play the final few games of the season.
The leftfield option to replace Gabriel Magalhaes
Another option Arsenal have to replace Gabriel is a player who is not a defender by trade but has made a considerable number of appearances for his former club – and he’s currently fit.
The player in question is Declan Rice, who has played 53 times at centre-back – indeed, this is more than he has played as a No. 8 over the course of his club career.
Rice also featured at centre-back on his first ever senior international appearance, playing in defence for the Republic of Ireland in their 1-0 friendly win over Turkiye in March 2018.
Indeed, a number of Arsenal fans have called for Rice to play at centre-back alongside William Saliba in the games against Madrid.
The biggest problem with Rice playing at centre-back, however, is that the Arsenal midfield would be deprived of his quality in the middle of the park.