Mikel Arteta confirms Arsenal's worst fears with blunt Gabriel injury update

Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes picked up an injury while playing for Brazil on international duty and Mikel Arteta has now given the latest on the centre-back

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes will be sidelined for "weeks" through injury. Gabriel picked up a thigh injury while playing for Brazil during the international break and will be a big miss for the Premier League leaders.

"Yeah, Gabi unfortunately picked up an injury and he's going to be out for weeks," Arteta said. "We need to have another scan next Wednesday and we will have the timeline much more clear."

The 27-year-old will sit out of the North London Derby against Tottenham on Sunday and will also be absent for a run of tricky matches. After Spurs, Arsenal face Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Brentford and Aston Villa in the lead-up to the frenetic Christmas period.

Gabriel is a key player for Arsenal, having been the bedrock of the best defence in Europe, contributing two goals and three assists in 17 games this season. Arteta added: "He's our leader in our back line and it's never a positive thing. The good thing is that we have very good options and we need to stand up now and do the job."

Arteta also confirmed that Riccardo Calafiori is a doubt for the Spurs game, having sat out of the international break with an injury. "Yeah, he wasn't available, he's been carrying a few things and we had to bring him back," the Arsenal boss said. "He hasn't trained yet, we have a session tomorrow so we will see."

The injuries will mean enforced changes to Arsenal's settled backline, with Cristhian Mosquera the most likely player to deputise for Gabriel. The £13million summer signing from Valencia has featured 12 times this season and put in assured performances.

Arsenal also have Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Viktor Gyokeres on the sidelines with injuries. None went away with their respective nations in the international break.

Asked about their possible availability, Arteta said: "We’ve put in a lot of energy during the international break, with all the medical staff as well, to try to bring them as quickly as possible. So tomorrow we have another training session, see how some of them are feeling, whether it's a bit too close for this game, or we feel that they can make a contribution in the game. So tomorrow we have more clarity."

If Calafiori is unable to play at left-back, then Myles Lewis-Skelly and summer signing Piero Hincapie are in line to replace the Italy international.

Arsenal are four points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table. But Arteta's side did see their momentum stalled before the international break, with Sunderland claiming a dramatic 2-2 draw at the Stadium of Light.

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