Alan Shearer has warned that Gabriel Magalhaes' injury will be a "tough to take" blow for Arsenal ahead of the North London Derby on Sunday. The Gunners are bracing themselves for the absence of the 27-year-old against Tottenham, following a muscle injury he sustained while representing Brazil during the international break.

Gabriel seemed to pull up whilst sprinting in the 64th minute of Brazil's 2-0 victory over Senegal at the Emirates Stadium last Saturday. It's been suggested that Gabriel is likely to be sidelined for at least a month, presenting Mikel Arteta with a significant selection dilemma amidst a busy fixture list.

If Gabriel is out until mid-December, he would miss no fewer than seven matches, including the showdown with Tottenham and next Wednesday's high-profile Champions League match at home against Bayern Munich. His absence could be a massive setback for the Gunners, despite Arteta's squad being packed with talent and depth.

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Piero Hincapie is expected to step in alongside William Saliba, though Cristian Mosquera is another possibility, and both Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White could potentially fill in that position.

Despite Arteta having options to cover for Gabriel's absence, Shearer reckons the Gunners will feel his loss more than some might anticipate, given his defensive solidity and threat from set-pieces.

Speaking to Betfair, Shearer said: "News of Gabriel's injury won't be pleasing for Arsenal fans, but they have got the squad depth to come in. They have other options and it's not as if they're down to the bare bones at Arsenal. They've got the biggest squad they've had for a while in terms of size and quality.

"Gabriel is a top defender and I don't care who comes in, it will be tough to take. Arsenal have good players but there aren't many Gabriel's around. That's why he gets the reviews he does because of how good he is.

"Defensively he's rock solid and has played a huge part in what Arsenal are doing but certainly from set-pieces, he's a huge cog in what they do in terms of scoring goals and making it very difficult for defences as well. We know how good Arsenal are with set-pieces and he plays a major part in that.

"Although Arsenal have a good replacement to come in and replace him, they're losing probably the best centre-half in the Premier League."

Looking ahead to the North London Derby itself, Shearer is eagerly anticipating the showdown between "two huge clubs". The Gunners currently lead the table and hold a four-point advantage over second-placed Manchester City heading into this weekend's matches, whilst Spurs languish in fifth spot and trail by eight points.

"The North London Derby is a great game to watch with a good atmosphere between two huge clubs," Shearer said.

"Arsenal and Spurs fans will tell you it's the biggest and best, which I get and understand. Newcastle and Sunderland will say it's theirs, Liverpool and Everton will tell you that and so would Celtic and Rangers fans.

"It's a great game and one I love watching. It always seems to give something back for the viewers and I'm looking forward to it. It should be a good game."