Gabriel Magalhaes is working towards a return at the end of the year, with the Aston Villa fixture emerging as a realistic target as he closes in on the final stages of his recovery.
Sky Sports News reported earlier this week that Gabriel remained absent from full team training as of Tuesday morning, around a month on from his initial setback.
The report added that the centre back could be aiming to be available for the Villa match on Thursday, December 30, which would be Arsenal’s final game of 2025.
That timeline aligns closely with reporting from Sami Mokbel, who wrote for the BBC on Monday that Gabriel’s injury is expected to keep him sidelined until the end of the year.
The Villa game is the very final match of 2025, so that timeline tracks with both reports.
There’s certainly no expectation Gabriel will be back for Arsenal’s next game against Everton, with Arsenal travelling away to Hill Dickinson Stadium for the first time on Saturday.
Asked about Gabriel ahead of the Everton match, Mikel Arteta struck a positive note while stopping short of placing a firm date on his return.
“He’s pushing hard, as he always does every time he’s out, and he’s evolving really well,” he said. “He’s doing pitch sessions, so he’s not too far. We have to see in the next stages of that rehab how he progresses, but we are quite positive about it.”
Gabriel was arguably Arsenal’s Player of the Season before his injury, putting in countless impressive defensive displays whilst also directly contributing to five goals at other end.
There’s no doubt the Gunners’ set-piece threat has dipped in Gabriel’s absence, albeit that their opening goal on against Wolves last weekend came from a corner.
But the clean sheets have also dried up, with only one in the five Premier League games without Gabriel available.
The 27-year-old’s return will be very welcome, whenever it arrives.