Gabriel Magalhaes has suffered an injury, and Arsenal fans are not happy.
The Gunners already have several players out, and the last thing Mikel Arteta needed during this international break was more issues.
Riccardo Calafiori was sent back by Italy because he wasn’t fit enough to play their two games, but the bigger issue is the adductor injury Gabriel has suffered.
The Brazilian is one of Arsenal’s most important players, and losing him ahead of big games against Tottenham, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea would be disastrous.
This news has been really frustrating for Arsenal fans, but there’s now an even more infuriating update.
Arsenal fans are furious after hearing a new detail about Gabriel Magalhaes’ injury
Sky Sports revealed after Brazil’s win over Senegal that Gabriel actually warmed up separately from his teammates in training on Friday in order to manage his load.
Despite that, Carlo Ancelotti decided to start him in a meaningless friendly, and that decision backfired.
One angry Arsenal fan tweeted: “Absolutely insane that he played the game. Completely irresponsible from everyone involved.”
Another wrote: “Why did they allow him to play after this?”
“Carlo, why??? He warmed up separately and should not have played more than a cameo,” said another.
Another Gooner posted: “So what was the point of starting him in this pointless friendly match?”
“This is unacceptable,” wrote another.
Arsenal have three options to replace Gabriel Magalhaes if he’s ruled out
Arsenal fans will be hoping that Gabriel’s injury is not too serious, but if he is ruled out for the North London Derby against Tottenham, Arteta will have to look at alternatives.
The obvious option is to move Calafiori to left-centre-half, but that can only happen if the Italian is fit enough to start the game.
Another option would be to start Piero Hincapie in Gabriel’s position. The Ecuador international has played there plenty of times and is more than capable of stepping in.
The third alternative would be to bring in Cristhian Mosquera. The Spaniard can either play on the left or William Saliba could move over to accommodate him in his position.
Arsenal have enough options to cover for Gabriel at the back, but his injury is still a big blow.
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