Gabriel Magalhaes: Everything Mikel Arteta said as Arsenal suffer new injury scare vs Southampton
Gabriel Magalhaes has Arsenal supporters hugely concerned after the Arsenal captain was forced off with an injury against Southampton.
The Gunners were plagued by injuries during the international break, with the likes of Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze all missing from the matchday squad on Saturday, 4 April.
With PSG on the horizon and a potential first Premier League trophy in 22 years, the North London club cannot afford to lose any more big names, which would only rub salt into the wounds after being knocked out of the FA Cup.
Arsenal’s injury problems have been a major talking point all season, and Arteta is now having to share what he knows about his captain after Gabriel was replaced by William Saliba in the 73rd minute.
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VISIT THE ARSENAL INJURY HUBGabriel Magalhaes could be sidelined with new injury
The centre-half was spotted back on the bench with a huge bag of ice on his knee, even causing Alan Shearer to worry about the Brazilian’s chances of being fit for the next game.
He was also forced to pull out from the Brazil squad during the international break, and while many rival fans accused the club of faking these injuries, this is very much a real concern.
Speaking after the full-time whistle, Arteta said: “He couldn’t continue, so we’re going to have to assess him and see if he gets better soon.”
| Arsenal’s injury list | Injury type |
| Declan Rice | Knock |
| Bukayo Saka | Physical discomfort |
| Leandro Trossard | Physical discomfort |
| Mikel Merino | Foot |
| Piero Hincapie | Muscle injury |
| Eberechi Eze | Calf |
On other injury problems, he added: “I hope that we can recover some of the players that we’re missing, and as quickly as we do that, the stronger we’re going to be.”
Who else is Mikel Arteta waiting on to return?
It is not just Rice, Saka and Eze who are missing. Leandro Trossard, Mikel Merino, and Piero Hincapie are all falling over each other in the treatment room in North London.
The latter is expected to be out for several weeks, but with Martin Odegaard returning from injury recently, that blow could have been more greatly felt by those at the Emirates.
Noni Madueke’s injury was not as bad as first feared, enough for him to come on against the Saints, while Martin Zubimendi also returned to the pitch after pulling out of international duty.
This is the worst time for players to be unavailable. Losing Gabriel long-term could have a major impact on the Gunners’ final games of the season. Arteta will hope that this isn’t the case.
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