Arsenal injury latest: Mikel Arteta delivers Gabriel update before Spurs as Odegaard, Gyokeres question answered

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed that Gabriel Magalhaes will be sidelined for "weeks" with the muscular injury he sustained while representing Brazil during the international break, but he was coy about other players' availabilities.

The Gunners were optimistic of receiving several pieces of good news on the fitness front over the international period, but instead they were rocked by witnessing Gabriel limp off injured in Brazil's friendly win over Senegal.

The 27-year-old was revealed to have sustained a thigh injury, and reports have now suggested that he faces between one and two months on the sidelines, potentially ruling him out for the rest of 2025.

Gabriel's injury comes at the worst possible time for Arsenal, who host Tottenham Hotspur in Sunday's North London derby before subsequent showdowns against Bayern Munich and Chelsea before the end of the month.

Speaking to the media in his pre-Spurs press conference, Arteta delivered the latest on Gabriel's condition, although he admitted that the centre-back will need more examinations to determine the length of his absence.

Arsenal's Gabriel out for "weeks", Mikel Arteta confirms

"Gabi is unfortunately picked up an injury with the national team. He will be out for weeks," Arteta said. "We need to have another scan next Wednesday. We will have the timeline much more clearly than we have at the moment.

"It's clearly a blow. It's our leader in our back line. To miss him is never a positive thing. The good thing is we have some very good options. They need to stand up now."

One player who could fill in for Gabriel is Riccardo Calafiori, who is expected to be OK for the derby despite picking up a hip problem while on international duty, but Arteta revealed that the Italy international is still yet to train since returning.

"He wasn't available. He's been carrying a few things. We had to bring him back. He hasn't trained yet. We have another session tomorrow. Let's see," the Spaniard responded.

Could Viktor Gyokeres, Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard return vs. Spurs?

Calafiori is not the only uncertainty for the Gunners, who are also sweating over all of Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Noni Madueke and Kai Havertz for gameweek 12 due to their fitness concerns.

It is believed that every member of the quintet could either be back for the North London derby or before the end of the month, but Arteta kept his cards close to his chest when asked in his pre-game press conference.

"We put a lot of energy in the international break with the medical staff to try to bring them back as quickly as possible," Arteta replied.

"Tomorrow we have another training session to see how they are feeling, if this game is too close or they can have a contribution in the game."

Gabriel Jesus is now training fully with the team after his ACL injury, but the visit of Tottenham is expected to come too soon for the Brazilian striker, who will most likely return to senior action in late December or early January.

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