Arsenal defender Gabriel was forced off with an injury during Brazil's friendly against Senegal on Saturday, with the Brazilian Football Federation confirming the news
Gabriel Magalhaes during the International Friendly match between Brazil and Senegal at Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes suffered an injury in Brazil's friendly vs Senegal
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Arsenal have been dealt a significant injury worry as defender Gabriel Magalhaes was forced to limp off during Brazil's friendly against Senegal over the weekend.
The match, which took place at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, saw Brazil leading by two goals thanks to strikes from Estevao and Casemiro when Gabriel had to be substituted due to a suspected muscular problem.
Now, Mikel Arteta and his team are left in suspense as they await news on the severity of the injury and how long their key player might be out of action. This comes as a major worry for the Gunners, especially considering Gabriel missed the end of last season with a hamstring issue.
Here's everything we know so far about Gabriel's injury....
Brazil statement
The Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) issued a statement on Sunday confirming Gabriel's injury. They said that he will return to Arsenal for treatment, ruling him out of their final international friendly.
They revealed: "Arsenal player Gabriel was re-evaluated this Sunday and underwent imaging tests that revealed a muscle injury in his right thigh. Therefore, the player will not travel with the team to the match against Tunisia in Lille. No other player will be called up to replace him."
Gabriel Magalhaes during the International Friendly match between Brazil and Senegal at Emirates Stadium
Gabriel during the International Friendly match between Brazil and Senegal at Emirates Stadium
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Arsenal's worst-case scenario
Brazil's statement confirms Arsenal's worst fears. While teammate Riccardo Calafiori 's withdrawal from the Italy camp seems precautionary with no expected time out, Gabriel's situation has escalated from a worry to a confirmed injury.
The exact timeline for his recovery is still uncertain, as further tests are needed to assess the severity of the problem. From Arsenal's viewpoint, they'll be hoping the issue is as minor as possible, particularly with the most critical part of the season looming.
After the international break, Arteta's squad face a challenging series of matches against Tottenham, Bayern Munich and Chelsea. The Arsenal manager will need his team fit and ready for these games, so any injury to Gabriel is a significant blow.
Carlo Ancelotti's apology
It's safe to say Arsenal will be fuming about the situation, especially since the player was reportedly already on a load management programme. As he hobbled off on Saturday, Sky Sports confirmed that Gabriel had been warming up separately from his teammates in an effort to reduce his workload.
So the fact he sustained a muscular injury after the 60th minute will be nothing short of infuriating. In his post-match press conference, Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti could do little else but apologise for what unfolded.
"Bad? I don't know, he had a problem on his adductor, the medical staff have to check tomorrow," he said in a press conference. "We are really sorry for this, really disappointed, when players have an injury I hope they can recover well and soon."
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