Arsenal suffered a major injury scare when Gabriel went off against Arsenal (Picture: Getty)
Mikel Arteta is confident that Gabriel Magalhaes has avoided a serious injury after the Arsenal defender was subbed off against Liverpool on the weekend.
The Gunners lost the Brazil international early in the second half at the Emirates with what looked like a knee injury he picked up after a collision with Darwin Nunez.
Arteta was then forced to withdraw Jurrien Timber, only just back from injury himself, before seeing his side concede late to draw 2-2 with Arne Slot’s side.
After the match, the Spaniard admitted he was concerned about the extent of Gabriel’s injury but subsequent scans appear to suggest the 26-year-old has avoided a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
‘We are still assessing him,’ Arteta said ahead of Arsenal’s Carabao Cup clash with Preston North End.
‘It doesn’t look bad at all. It was much better the next day. He has done some tests.’
On Timber’s substitution, Arteta added: ‘Jurrien is fine. He has been out for a while. He was tired, he could not continue the game.’
Riccardo Calafiori is set for a spell on the sidelines (Picture: Getty)
Riccardo Calafiori looks set for a couple of weeks out after the injury he picked up against Shakhtar Donetsk, while Martin Odegaard continues his own rehabilitation for an ankle injury.
‘He’s been on the grass for a few weeks but there is still a few boxes to tick,’ Arteta said of the Norwegian. ‘Hopefully, he’ll be back before the international break.’
Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney remain sidelined with knee and hamstring injuries to add to Arsenal’s injury problems, but Arteta insisted he will still look to rotate on Wednesday.
‘It is important. There are players who haven’t played that much, and they will have their chance tomorrow, that’s for sure,’ he said.
‘But you have to earn the right to play and when you have that right, you have to perform, and perform in a way to help impact the team to win the game.
‘That’s what we are going to demand of anybody. Whether you are young, you are an experienced player or you’ve been playing regularly for us.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Arsenal news, exclusives and analysis
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.