Mikel Arteta confirms Arsenal star will miss UCL fixture against PSV after picking up injury against Everton
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Gabriel Martinelli will not be available for the clash against PSV. The Gunners are already without Jurien Timber, Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny for the match.
Speaking to the media ahead of the UEFA Champions League match, Arteta claimed that the Brazilian has a string issue and is definitely out of the PSV clash. He said:
"He felt something in his hamstring, we need to do some further tests to assess if there is any big damage or not, but he will be out for tomorrow's game that's for sure."
Arteta is also sweating on Gabriel Magalhaes' fitness as the defender has a small issue. The Gunners manager said earlier this month:
"We try to always check the players and understand what happened. We had good contact with the national team and Gabi had a little issue, but then he managed to play the second game. So it’s something that obviously for the next sequence of matches we’re going to have to be aware of."
However, Magalhaes is fit and available for the PSV clash.
Mikel Arteta still counts on Gabriel Magalhaes at Arsenal
Gabriel Magalhaes was benched for the first two Arsenal matches this season, and questions were raised about the defender's future at the club. However, Arteta dismissed all claims and suggested that he was just managing the minutes.
He told the media:
"Yeah, especially someone that has played a lot of minutes and games with us in the last year. I don’t know if he understands but I told him. I think he understands the reason, whether he agrees or not, that’s something different. But the best way to do it is when you play, just tell me how blind I’m wrong, I am."
Arteta added:
“Nothing at all. It’s about the games we were expecting, how I wanted to defend and attack. I believe it was the best thing, he played in both games and helped us win both games. He was really good today when he came on, he was dominant and will play a lot of games. That’s the decision sometimes."
Gabriel was linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League. However, Arsenal did not accept any offer, and Sky Sports reported that they had no plans to sell the defender.