Arsenal conclude Gabriel Magalhães hamstring injury investigation

Arsenal have completed their internal investigation into the hamstring injury Gabriel Magalhães suffered last April, and have now identified the cause.

Arsenal’s investigation into Gabriel Magalhães’ hamstring injury has reached its conclusion, with the club identifying significant concerns about player workloads following international duty. The Brazilian centre-back suffered the injury during Arsenal’s match against Fulham in April, a setback that contributed to the Gunners’ late-season struggles.

According to ESPN, Internal analysis revealed that Gabriel reached sprint speeds against Fulham that he hadn’t achieved in two months prior to his international commitments with Brazil. This discovery has prompted Arsenal to reassess their training protocols and monitoring systems for players returning from national team duty.

The injury investigation forms part of a broader review at Emirates Stadium, with club officials recognising that poor player availability significantly hampered their title challenge last season. An extensive list of; Takehiro Tomiyasu, Gabriel Jesus, Ben White, Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber all joined Gabriel in undergoing surgery last campaign.

The findings have directly influenced Arsenal’s summer transfer strategy, with the club prioritising players who demonstrate strong availability records throughout their careers. Noni Madueke missed just 13 games for Chelsea since his arrival in 2023, while Viktor Gyökeres also boasts an incredible injury record throughout his career.

This approach, coupled with the desire to sign fringe players such as Cristhian Mosquera and Christian Nørgaard, reflects Mikel Arteta’s desire to build a strong squad filled with players who are of the required level.

Despite meticulous planning and improved protocols, Arsenal do still acknowledge that some injury occurrences remain unavoidable. The club accepts that luck plays a role in player fitness, regardless of how comprehensive their preparation becomes.

The Brazilian defender continues his rehabilitation, but Mikel Arteta does expect him to be fit for the Premier League opener as Arsenal travel to Manchester United. Before then, Gabriel may be in contention to face both Villarreal and Athletic Club at The Emirates in the next week.