Mikel Arteta believes Gabriel Magalhaes is going to be okay, despite the centre-back being forced off during Arsenal’s Champions League win over Olympiacos on Wednesday.
Arsenal’s midweek game against Olympiacos was generally a positive on, with the Gunners winning 2-0 to maintain a 100% record in the Champions League’s League Phase.
Yet there was some concern about Brazilian centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes, who came off in the 75th minute with an injury.
Speaking after the game, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta explained that the defender had been carrying an issue since the first half of the match, but his withdrawal was mostly precautionary.
“Yeah, I think he’s going to be okay,” Arteta said. “He felt something, I think it was a kick, I’m not sure, in the first half.
“He was a bit uncomfortable and towards the [end of the] second half…he could carry on but we decided not to take any risks because he’s played a lot of games.
“He’s coming from a long-term injury as well, and we need to look after him.”
Gabriel missed the final couple of months of the 2024/25 campaign with a hamstring injury, and he only returned to action during pre-season.
Even then, the centre-back had setbacks that meant he wasn’t really involved until the very end of the pre-season preparations. All the same, he’s appeared in every single one of Arsenal’s competitive fixtures this season so far.
Arsenal were definitely right to be cautious on Wednesday, as the 27-year-old is a key member of the team and a more significant injury setback could be damaging.