Brazil have left Arsenal trio Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, and Gabriel Magalhaes out of their squad for the upcoming international break.

Announcing their squad for the March international break on Friday, Brazil named a 23-man list without any Arsenal players on it.

It’s not particularly surprising to see Gabriel Jesus excluded, given he isn’t yet back in action for Arsenal after his injury.

But Gabriel Martinelli dropping out of the squad is a surprise, considering he was among those selected for the World Cup and he’s in excellent form right now.

Martinelli has scored four goals in his last three games for Arsenal, so you’d think he’d at least merit a spot in the 23.

There’s a huge caveat to all of this, which is that interim coach Ramon Menezes has publicly stated that he’s trying to give opportunities to new players over this break.

Many consider Liverpool’s Alisson to be one of the very best goalkeepers in the world, but he missed out on the squad to 18-year-old Mycael of Club Athletico Paranaense. It’s not just the Arsenal players missing out.

On the other hand, that makes Gabriel Magalhaes’ exclusion even more frustrating for the player.

Gabriel still hasn’t made his debut for Brazil, and this could have been an opportunity to give it to him, in the midst of a league-leading campaign with Arsenal. But once again, he’s been overlooked.

The defender aired that frustration on social media in a now-deleted tweet, writing “new job” along with a basketball emoji and a winking face.

Amid all the mixed emotions among the players not involved in the squad, Arsenal fans are likely to feel much less conflicted about the absences.

A couple of weeks off for three likely starters sounds ideal for the Gunners’ title challenge, after a busy schedule in the lead-up to the break.