Arsenal’s talismanic centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes lasted a little more than 15 minutes before sinking to the turf against Fulham on Tuesday evening.
The Brazilian defender wasn’t near any opponent or teammate when he crumpled in a heap off the ball at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal continued attacking while their colleague writhed around in agony deep inside his own half, yet felt aggrieved when Fulham refused to put the ball out of play after losing possession.
Gabriel hobbled around in evident agony as his Arsenal teammates eventually conceded a corner before he was belatedly afforded some much-needed medical attention. Clutching what looked to be his hamstring, the prolific centre-back limped off in the 16th minute.
The Gunners had been buoyed by the return of Bukayo Saka ahead of kick-off, but were also without another defensive figure in the form of Ben White.
The buccaneering right-back, who missed three months in the middle of the campaign after undergoing knee surgery, did not feature in Tuesday’s matchday squad. Arteta downplayed White’s absence shortly before kick-off. “He had a little niggle two days ago,” the Spanish boss revealed. “Yesterday we tried, he wasn’t feeling right, so we decided not to put him in the squad today.”
Fellow defender Riccardo Calafiori was a more expected absentee. The Italy international awkwardly twisted his knee while representing his country in March, prompting fears of another lengthy layoff. Arteta confirmed that Calafiori would be sidelined ahead of the midweek round of Premier League fixtures, but stressed that his lay-off was “a matter of weeks” rather than months.
Any injury is heightened by the impending Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid. Arsenal host the record 15-time European champions at the Emirates on Tuesday 8 April, exactly one week after Gabriel gingerly made his way off the club’s home turf.
If, as expected, the Brazilian has suffered a hamstring injury, even the most optimistic diagnosis would see him to sit out the first leg. Whether Gabriel is available for the return fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu on 16 April remains to be seen – but is also clouded in doubt.
