Supporters may expect Gabriel to be reinstated into the Gunners' back four against Manchester United on Sunday, assuming he does not move away this summer, with Real Madrid and clubs in the Saudi Pro League reportedly interested in signing him.

Meanwhile, Arteta instead his absence was purely for tactical reasons.

After leaving Gabriel out of Arsenal’s first two matches of the season, the Spaniard told reporters last week: “It’s about the games we were expecting, that I was expecting, and how I wanted to defend and attack and what I believed was the best thing.

“He’s played in both games, he helped us to win both games for different reasons. He was really good today, he absolutely dominated the box when he came on and he’s going to play a lot of games. But that’s the decision sometimes.”