Mikel Arteta issues new Gabriel Magalhaes Arsenal injury update and explains Ben White absence

Mikel Arteta has offered an injury update on Gabriel Magalhaes before Arsenal face Newcastle in the Premier League this weekend. The Brazil international limped off during the 2-2 Premier League draw against Liverpool last Sunday and was thus not included in the squad to face Preston in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening.

William Saliba, having missed the draw at Emirates Stadium through suspension, was among the first-team stars named in the starting XI with Jurrien Timber also in the back four despite also being subbed off at the weekend after receiving treatment. Mikel Merino and Gabriel Martinelli were also given the nod.

Alongside Gabriel, Martin Odegaard and Riccardo Calafiori are among those also dealing with injuries though there is hope the former can return swiftly. "We’re still assessing him," Arteta said in an update on Tuesday. "It doesn’t look that bad at all. He was much better the next day. Hopefully he’ll be fine."

With Gabriel remaining in north London, Arteta was asked for another update with the Gunners boss offering some fresh information. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "He could not train, obviously he’s out at the moment so let’s see how he evolves over the next few games."

Arsenal kick off the weekend's Premier League action with a Saturday lunchtime trip to Newcastle at St James' Park and thus the 26-year-old will need to make swift progress in his recovery to feature. As Arteta showed in the absence of Saliba and Gabriel's early withdrawal, Ben White and Jakub Kiwior can both play at centre-back.

The Poland international was alongside Saliba for the cup tie at Deepdale, though White was missing from the matchday squad with Arteta also explaining why he missed out. "He was struggling at the end of the match so he wasn’t available for tonight’s game," he said.

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The versatile defender only returned from his own injury a few weeks ago against Bournemouth with starts against Shakhtar Donetsk and Liverpool following. Elsewhere, Bukayo Saka was named on the bench after recovering from a hamstring injury to play 85 minutes against the Reds on his return with that marked by a superb goal in the first half.

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