Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta could well have let out a sigh of relief as the Gunners received a potential boost regarding the timetable around injured Brazilian center-back Gabriel Magalhães.
The defender suffered a knee injury last month.https://t.co/FrtQqn1iuq
— football.london (@Football_LDN) August 6, 2021
As reported in Football.London, the Brazilian has recently been training privately in Mexico with Sport physiotherapist Thiago Pegoretti. The update on Gabriel’s progress comes thanks to Pegoretti himself, who posted on his Instagram account that the former LOSC Lille standout has been put through an 11-day preventive and preparatory regimen before the pair thanked each other for their positive relationship during their period together.
Gabriel had suffered a setback regarding the injury sustained to his right knee during the 2020-21 Premier League campaign, and the Brazilian youth international reported for training on 1 July and soon after complained of pain in the same knee. The resulting tests confirmed joint swelling and undiagnosed tendonitis that would require further treatment.
The setback stripped the player of the chance to join Arsenal squadmate Gabriel Martinelli at the Tokyo Olympics as Brazil looked to defend the gold medal they won in 2016, with the Seleção primed to clash with Spain in the gold medal game tomorrow.
It was first thought that the extent of Gabriel’s set-back could force the Gunners to re-think their plans to send French starlet William Saliba back out on loan for the upcoming season, but Saliba has already completed his move to Olympique Marseille and will remain at the Orange Vélodrome for the upcoming campaign.
Mikel Arteta gave his own update on the player in the wake of Arsenal’s 2-1 pre-season loss to rivals Chelsea, stating “I don’t know. He’s still injured. He picked up an injury when he was doing the preparations for the Olympics with Brazil. At the moment, he’s not able to train with us at the moment so it’s unlikely. Hopefully, he can recover quickly.”
Few expect Gabriel to be rushed back to feature early doors for the Gunners given their completed £50m move for Brighton’s Ben White, combined with the availability of both Rob Holding and Pablo Mari with a decrease in fixture congestion given the club’s lack of participation on the continent this season. However, a faster return by Gabriel would be a huge boon to Arteta as he looks to guide the club back into the European places this season after a disappointing 2020-21 campaign.
