Just 15 minutes into the Gunners' return to action against Fulham, the Brazil international was forced off as he hobbled, clutching his hamstring and signalling to be taken off. Arsenal have now confirmed that he will miss the rest of the season, which is a major blow for manager Mikel Arteta whose title hopes may be over.
“Gabi will undergo a surgical repair procedure to his hamstring in the coming days and immediately begin his recovery and rehabilitation programme, with the aim to be ready for the start of next season.
“Everyone at the club will be fully focused on supporting Gabi to ensure he is back to full fitness as soon as possible.”
Gabreil joins Riccardo Calafiori, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Ben White and Jurrien Timber as Arsenal’s defence weakens ahead of their clash against Everton this weekend. A silver lining for Arteta is that Bukayo Saka returned to the pitch after an extended spell on the sidelines but the boost in attack will not help their unstable defence.
This is great news for league leaders Liverpool, who kept their 12-point lead at the top of the table after securing a 1-0 win over Everton on Wednesday night. The Reds need 13 points out of a possible 24 to guarantee the title and now with the Gunner’s backline in tatters, they could secure it much earlier than once thought.