Gabriel is “physically ready” to make his Arsenal debut, according to Arsene Wenger.
The Brazilian centre back joined the Gunners from Villarreal in January and was named on Arsenal’s bench for the first time in Sunday’s 5-0 win against Aston Villa.
Wenger says Gabriel could feature against Tottenham Hotspur - but he feels no need to rush him.
"He’s ready to start, he’s just not used to playing in our back four and he hasn’t mastered the language at all"
Arsene Wenger
“Gabriel can start,” the manager said. “At the moment he’s ready to start, he’s just not used to playing in our back four and he hasn’t mastered the language at all. He’s physically ready.
“At the moment I have no special temptation to switch in the middle of our defence because we are going through a strong spell defensively. But he’s ready to play.”
Wenger also confirmed leading scorer Alexis will not feature at White Hart Lane but he is confident Arsenal have enough quality to continue their fine form.
“I don't think about the game like that, we just want to play our game and perform,” he said. “We have enough offensive options, we are not short. I think we have enough offensive power, if all of us perform individually and collectively, we can get above [Alexis' absence]."
Gabriel trains
Copyright 2024 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
