Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says defenders Gabriel and Jurrien Timber will be assessed after sustaining injuries during Tuesday’s 2-1 Premier League win over Fulham.
Gabriel had to be withdrawn in the 16th minute of the game at the Emirates Stadium. The Brazilian had gone down a few minutes later and appeared to be holding the back of his right leg, before he was treated on the pitch and eventually limped off.
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Timber, meanwhile, initially looked to be injured around the half-hour mark but was able to continue after receiving treatment. The Dutchman then went down again on 70 minutes and could not continue, with Leandro Trossard replacing him.
“We don’t know how they’re going to be,” Arteta said in his post-match news conference. “We will be assessing them tomorrow.”
“If there are two players in this team who never want to come off, it is probably those two. Gabi felt something in his hamstring. We don’t know how big that is. With Jurrien, he was already struggling very early in the game. He managed to continue but at one point he couldn’t. Jurrien was his knee.
“The good thing is that it’s been like this the whole season. You see Martinelli today and we missed him for three months. We missed Bukayo for four months, Kai for four months, Gabi Jesus the whole season. How we have managed to be where we are with all those injuries, Ben White hasn’t participated at all this season. It’s what it is. We want it so much that we’re going to give it a real go and we are very excited for the next week.
“You can imagine with those four players in the defensive line in one week. So (Riccardo) Calafiori, Ben White, Jurrien and Gabriel Magalhaes. We have still another four that are so bloody willing that they will do their job.”
Jakub Kiwior replaced Gabriel against Fulham, with the 25-year-old making his first Premier League appearance since December 8 having been an unused substitute for 14 consecutive matches since.
Arsenal are already dealing with injuries in defence, with Calafiori out for “weeks” with an injury he sustained on Italy duty last month and Takehiro Tomiyasu not expected to return this calendar year after undergoing knee surgery in February. White also missed the Fulham game with what Arteta described pre-match as “a little niggle two days ago”.
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Gabriel has missed only four matches for Arsenal this season, making 39 starts in all competitions as well as two substitute appearances in the early rounds of the Carabao Cup. Timber has also featured 41 times for Arsenal, starting each of the 26 league games he has been available for since the opening day.
Mikel Merino and the returning Bukayo Saka scored Arsenal’s goals against Fulham, with Rodrigo Muniz scoring a late consolation goal for the visitors.
Arsenal return to action on Saturday when they travel to Goodison Park to face Everton. They then welcome Real Madrid to north London the following Tuesday.
(Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
