Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes have taken another major hit as key defender Gabriel Magalhães will undergo surgery on his hamstring injury and miss the remainder of the season, the club confirmed on Thursday.
The 27-year-old Brazilian was forced off just 16 minutes into Arsenal’s 2-1 victory over Fulham on Tuesday, with manager Mikel Arteta admitting he was “worried” about the severity of the injury.
Now, with confirmation that Gabriel requires surgery, the Gunners will have to navigate a crucial final stretch of the season without one of their defensive pillars.
“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,” Arsenal said in a statement.
“Everyone at the club will be fully focused on supporting Gabi to ensure he is back to full fitness as soon as possible.”
Gabriel’s absence adds to Arsenal’s mounting injury crisis, with key attackers Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus also ruled out for the rest of the campaign.
The Gunners have already been forced to cope with significant absences this season, as Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, Ben White, and Gabriel Martinelli have all endured injury setbacks.
With Arsenal locked in a fierce battle at the top of the table, losing Gabriel at such a critical stage is a brutal setback.
The Gunners face Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday before hosting Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on April 8—a fixture where Gabriel’s defensive presence would have been crucial.
