Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta claimed that Gabriel should return to the squad for their trip to Newcastle if he comes through the Gunners' final training session on Friday, but cast doubt on Ben White's prospects amid a flurry of injuries.
Both defenders were left out of the squad completely for their 3-0 Carabao Cup victory over Preston, though William Saliba did return from suspension.
Gabriel and White picked up injuries in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool, with the Brazilian forced off shortly after half-time, as the north London outfit are unable to call upon several of their defensive stars during a crucial period in the season.
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"Yes it’s good news on Gabriel," Arteta revealed. "We have a training session today. If he’s able to do that he’ll be in the squad."
He provided a bleaker outlook on White, however, adding: "With Ben we don’t know yet. He could not train so let’s see what happens."
Arteta also confirmed that White's injury was a joint issue and not related to the previous fitness worry that kept the former Leeds and Brighton man sidelined.
He also ruled out captain Martin Odegaard, Riccardo Calafiori and Takehiro Tomiyasu from participating in the trip to St James' Park on Saturday lunchtime, with the latter out of action until after the November international break.
"Riccy and Martin are out definitely," Arteta confirmed. "I don’t expect him (Tomiyasu) to be available before the break unfortunately.
"Now is the stage when he’s (Odegaard) going to start to do certain work with us. Let’s see if he deals with pain if physically he’s able to compete. With the work he’s put in I would be surprised if when he’s back training with us we don’t say he’s ready."
Arteta was in a much more positive mood regarding 17-year-old wonderkid Ethan Nwaneri, however, as he gushed over the midfield prospect following his goal in the cup win at Deepdale.
"It’s rare to see a talent like this at 17 years old," the Spanish boss declared. "The biggest thing is to push him, but we have to protect him. This talent you have to push him but try not to clip his wings.
"I can talk how good he is right now. At 17 years old to be in the position he is at one of the biggest clubs in Europe shows the quality he has. What happens in the future will depend how much he wants it. My prediction for him is very positive.
"It’s rare to see a talent like this at 17 years old that’s true. When we gave him his debut at 15 there was a lot of talk about it but we didn’t do it as a gift. We did it as a proof of a pathway and how much we wanted to keep him."
