Gabriel Magalhaes suffers groin injury on Brazil duty

Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes suffered a groin injury on international duty for Brazil against Senegal earlier on Saturday.

The centre-back has been hugely influential for the Gunners in the heart of the defence. His absence will be a huge blow.

Gabriel could not carry on after his groin issue today. This should be a big concern for the Gunners before the restart.

Arsenal face Tottenham Hotspur, Bayern Munich and Chelsea in quick succession following the international break.

If Gabriel is sidelined, manager Mikel Arteta may have to rely on either Piero Hincapie or Christian Mosquera to fill the void.

Mosquera has already started in the league after his summer arrival, but Arteta could be tempted to go with a left-footed choice.

Hence, Hincapie is a front-runner to replace Gabriel in the left centre-back role if the latter is deemed unfit for the season resumption.

Arsenal also have concerns regarding Riccardo Calafiori, who has returned early from Italy duty due to an apparent hip issue.