Arsenal lose injured defender Gabriel for rest of the season

Arsenal defender Gabriel will sit out the rest of the season after having surgery on his hamstring, the Premier League club said on Thursday in a major blow to Mikel Arteta's side.

Brazilian Gabriel went down injured in the early stages of the 2-1 win over Fulham on Tuesday and was substituted immediately, with the 27-year-old limping off.

"Gabi will undergo a surgical repair procedure to his hamstring in the coming days, and immediately begin his recovery and rehabilitation programme, with the aim to be ready for the start of next season," Arsenal said in a statement.

Arsenal are 12 points behind Liverpool in the title race with eight games left, while they host Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals next week.

Gabriel has been Arsenal's lynchpin in defence alongside centre back partner William Saliba, with the pair helping the north London club maintain the best defensive record in England's top flight, conceding 25 goals in 30 games.

The two defenders, along with goalkeeper David Raya, had played more minutes than any of their teammates in all competitions this season.

Gabriel has also been a key figure during attacking set-pieces and has scored five times in all competitions.

He is the third Arsenal player to suffer a major hamstring injury after compatriot Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, who also needed surgery and was out for three months.

The Gunners were already without defenders Riccardo Calafiori, Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu while Jurrien Timber also came off in the Fulham game with a knee issue.

"You can imagine, we've lost four players in the defensive line in one week... We still have another four that are so willing that they will do their job," Arteta said after the Fulham game.

The club also lost strikers Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus to season-ending injuries earlier this year.