Carlo Ancelotti said he was ‘really sorry’ and ‘really disillusioned’ Arsenal star Gabriel limped out of Brazil’s friendly against Senegal.
Gabriel, recently hailed because the ‘most influential player within the Premier League, was forced off in Saturday’s friendly against Senegal with a groin problem.
The 27-year-old pulled up off the ball on the hour mark and hobbled off after receiving treatment from Brazil’s medical team on his right thigh.
The friendly was played at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium and Gabriel was seen limping out of the bottom after the match.
Arsenal fans were understandably concerned by the scenes, with Gabriel one of the vital vital members of Mikel Arteta’s squad lately.
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Gabriel has helped Arsenal concede just five goals this season and climb 4 points clear at the highest of the Premier League table.
Arsenal return to Premier League motion next weekend against north London rivals Tottenham, while Arteta’s side face Bayern Munich within the Champions League the next Wednesday.
It stays to be seen whether Gabriel shall be fit to feature against Spurs, with Ancelotti providing a cautious update on the Gunners star after Brazil beat Senegal 2-0 in north London.
‘Bad? I don’t know,’ the previous Real Madrid manager said. ‘He had an injury in his adductor. The medical staff has to ascertain tomorrow.
‘We’re really sorry for this, really disillusioned. When a player has an injury, you hope they’ll get better well and shortly.’
Brazil beat Senegal 2-0 on the Emirates Stadium because of goals from Chelsea winger Estevao Willian and Manchester United midfielder Casemiro.
Gabriel shouldn’t be the one cause for concern amongst an Arsenal fanbase hoping to see their side win the league title for the primary time since 2004.
Italy boss Gennaro Gattuso has confirmed fellow Gunners defender Riccardo Calafiori has left the international camp following ‘a number of issues’.
Calafiori missed Italy’s World Cup qualifying win over Moldova on Thursday
‘We tried Calafiori, he had a number of issues,’ Gattuso told Sky Sports ahead of Italy’s match against Norway on Sunday.
‘I thank him for his commitment. He stayed here for every week, he could have played perhaps, but it surely wouldn’t have been fair to him or Arsenal.’
In addition to starring in essentially the most solid defence in Europe, Gabriel has developed right into a real offensive threat over the past two seasons.
‘I believe you’ll be able to make an argument that he could possibly be seen as essentially the most influential player within the Premier League right away,’ Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher said of Gabriel last month.
‘If you consider the clean sheets and the defensive record Arsenal have and in addition his threat at set-pieces. He’s as influential as anyone, possibly even Erling Haaland.’
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, summer signing Noni Madueke and first-choice striker Viktor Gyokeres are all also recovering from injury problems.
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