Gabriel Paulista Injury: Updates on Arsenal Defender's Ankle and Return
Arsenal have been hit with yet another injury, this time to talented centre-back Gabriel Paulista, who left Sunday's friendly against Manchester City with what appeared to be a serious ankle injury.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told reporters Gabriel has a sprained ankle, but he could not give word on how serious the injury was.
Gabriel Stretchered Off vs. City
Arsenal shared word of Gabriel's exit late in the second half of the friendly against Pep Guardiola's men.
Gabriel's Injury Further Exposes Arsenal's Lack of CB Depth
The 25-year-old has become a valuable piece of the Gunners rotation since joining from Villarreal in January 2015, overcoming some minor early struggles to carve out a role for himself.
While he's not an automatic starter, he rotates with Per Mertesacker, often based on individual matchups. The German isn't the most athletic centre-back in the world, making Gabriel a viable alternative against smaller, quicker forwards.
Gabriel's performances have been steadily improving since joining Arsenal, which can likely be attributed to a better grasp of the English language. He's proved himself to be a superb tackler with excellent vision and solid passing ability, meaning he can comfortably play out from the back and add to the attack if needed.
His injury history is almost spotless, per Transfermarkt, so this latest setback is likely just a matter of bad luck, and Arsenal will hope any testing done comes back with positive news. In his absence, Calum Chambers and Rob Holding can expect bigger roles ahead of the Premier League opener against Liverpool on Aug. 14.
Mertesacker is currently out with a long-term knee injury, and Wenger told reporters Saturday that Laurent Koscielny will not be fit due to his Euro 2016 commitment with France.
With that in mind, Wenger may have to go into the transfer market for a replacement for Gabriel.
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