Prior to this weekend’s Premier League trip to Everton, Arsenal received a major confidence boost over Gabriel Magalhaes’ fitness. With the current international break shortly coming to a close, Arsenal will return to action in just five days.
A few players on Mikel Arteta’s team are currently out with injuries. The Spaniard will be anxious for no further players to develop any fitness issues before his team travels to Goodison Park to play against Everton this weekend. On his debut for Brazil, center-back Gabriel Magalhaes may have picked up a muscle issue.
Arsenal have a positive update on Gabriel’s fitness ahead of Everton clash
The 25-year-old recently earned his international debut for Brazil against Bolivia in a World Cup qualifying match. Gabriel partnered with Marquinhos of Paris Saint-Germain in defence as the five-time world champions prevailed 5-1.
During the Selecao’s game against Bolivia, the former Lille defender was the victim of an unsportsmanlike challenge. He was then replaced 80 minutes later and seen with ice on his thigh. But there has since been some encouraging news regarding the 25-year-old’s fitness situation.
The excitement of Gabriel making his national team debut, however, was slightly diminished when he was seen having ice applied to his right thigh. He was substituted by Roger Ibanez in the 85th minute. Earlier in the match, in the fifth minute, Diego Ibanez of Bolivia delivered a terrifying challenge to the Arsenal star. The Arsenal defender played for an additional 80 minutes despite Ibanez’s disastrous attempt to win the ball. He struck Gabriel in the chest with his right knee.
The Brazil FA gave no indication of the seriousness of the injury, giving the Gunners cause for concern for a moment. However, the residents of north London have received a tremendous boost in their hopes of seeing Gabriel during the game at Goodison Park.
Following Arsenal’s concern over his fitness, Gabriel reportedly participated in Brazil training, according to Charles Watts. According to reports from the Brazilian national team’s training facility, scans on the thigh issue he experienced against Bolivia revealed no signs of an injury. It presently looks like the 25-year-old will start for Brazil against Peru on Tuesday, which is a good news for Arteta and the Arsenal supporters.
Latest injury updates regarding Partey, Timber and Elneny
Jurrien Timber and Thomas Partey won’t be present for Arteta against Everton. Partey suffered a groin injury prior to the victory over Manchester United. While, Timber is anticipated to miss a significant amount of time due to recovery from a successful ACL surgery.
Speaking of Timber, Arteta said
“Huge blow. Especially for him after just joining the club. To have the injury he has is a huge blow. We recruited him with clear intentions and what he was bringing to the team was evident, but he’s not going to be able to do it this season. We have to adapt. These things happen, unfortunately, and we have to move on.”
Partey suffered a groin injury during a training session on Thursday, which was a serious setback for Arteta. The Ghana FA verified this on Saturday afternoon. It is unknown how long the 30-year-old will be out of action. The Daily Mail reports that Arsenal is hoping Partey will be able to play after the international break in October.
The Arsenal manager continued saying
“I don’t know. Unfortunately, he [Partey] got injured in training. It doesn’t look good. I believe he’ll be out for a few weeks. It’s more a groin.”
In January, Mohamed Elneny sustained a major knee injury that kept him out for the rest of the previous campaign. There haven’t been many updates on his recovery, and it’s unknown when he might return for Arsenal.
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