Arsene Wenger may be forced into making another defensive signing this summer with Arsenal‘s backline facing a minor crisis following injury to Gabriel.
The Brazilian suffered an apparent ankle injury in his side’s 3-2 friendly win over Manchester City, with the defender tangling with opposition striker Kelechi Iheanacho.
The defender appeared to be in considerable pain and remained on the ground for a few minutes following impact. It is as yet unclear or if or how long the 25-year-old will be out of action.
With both Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny likely to miss the start of the new season, Gabriel was the last senior defender available and a long lay-off would leave Wenger with very few options.
Speaking after the match, Wenger was questioned on whether he was content with his defensive options, with only Calum Chambers and new signing Rob Holding fit to play.
He said: “I’ve said many times that we are in the market. Of course it’s not an easy market for us. Let’s hope we have good news from Gabriel.
“Laurent Koscielny is back in training [on Monday] but he might be short for next week. If Gabriel is out, Per Mertesacker is out and Koscielny not ready, that’s a lot of players.”
The prospect of Chambers, 21, and Holding, 20, starting together against Liverpool on Sunday may frustrate Arsenal fans, with neither player having extensive experience in the Premier League.
Reports suggest Wenger is currently interested in Valencia’s central-defender Shkodran Mustafi but with their opening fixture fast approaching, the deal looks from imminent.
Arsenal have already spent money on Granit Xhaka, Takuma Asano and Rob Holding this summer but the latter would not have been expecting such a prominent role already.
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