Arsenal defender Gabriel posts optimistic message on Instagram as he is now set to miss only eight weeks of action with injury
Gunners ace went down with ankle ligament knock during last weekend's 3-2 pre-season friendly win over Manchester City
GABRIEL has handed Arsene Wenger and Arsenal fans everywhere some great news - taking to Instagram to reassure everyone his ankle injury isn't as serious as at first glance.
The Gunners defender, 25, limped off during his side's 3-2 pre-season friendly win over Manchester City after a stoppage-time clash with young forward Kelechi Iheanacho.
The incident sparked fears the Brazilian would miss months, or even the whole season, as is often the case with ligament damage.
However, Gabriel posted an image of himself on Instagram this morning, complete with the caption: "Today I feel much better, is not a big problem thank my fans." [sic]
The post was met with positive messages from Arsenal fans, clearly thrilled to have their defender ready sooner rather than later, although he is still expected to miss around eight weeks with the injury.
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It was expected Gabriel would miss weeks with the injury, forcing Wenger to look into diving into the transfer market for a replacement.
In recent days, Arsenal have been linked with German ace Lukas Klostermann with only Laurent Koscielny and ex-Bolton youngster Rob Holding fit to take on the club's Premier League season curtain-raiser against Liverpool.
Per Mertesacker is set to miss at least another four months following his knee injury sustained in July.
Once again, Wenger has had a quiet transfer window, only making the signing of Granit Xhaka this summer, much to fans' frustration.
So the news Gabriel could even be fit for Sunday's game against Jurgen Klopp's Reds is a huge boost.
The Brazilian turned out 29 times for the Gunners last term, including 21 in the Premier League, netting one goal.
Gabriel has been at the Emirates Stadium since January 2015, following his switch from Villarreal halfway through the 2014-15 season.