Arsenal reportedly face being without centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes for up to two months after he suffered an injury during the international break.

The Gunnerswere on a superb run of form before this month’s international break as they have moved clear at the top of the Premier League table, remain unbeaten in the Champions League group stages and have progressed in the Carabao Cup.

Mikel Arteta‘s side have not lost in 14 games in all competitions, with the Premier League leaders unbeaten since their 1-0 loss to Liverpool at the end of August.

Arsenal have fully capitalised on Liverpool’s sudden downfall and Man City’s inconsistency to establish themselves as the firm favourites for the title, with it clear that they have the best squad in the Premier League.

Injuries are one thing that could derail Arsenal’s title challenge, so they will have been concerned as Gabriel’s thigh injury during this month’s international break sparked an apology from Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti.

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Now, respected journalist David Ornstein has revealed to The Athleticthat there are ‘fears’ at Arsenal that the centre-back could be unavailable for two months.

Ornstein added: ‘Sources briefed on the injury, speaking on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to do so publicly, confirmed that further tests are required to discover the full extent of Gabriel’s injury but initial examinations suggest he will miss a month or two.’

Before Ornstein’s update, a separate report claimed Arsenal do not ‘plan’ to enter the market in January to sign a replacement for Gabriel,as they feel that they have adequate cover after signing?Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie in the summer.

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Still, former Premier League striker Matt Le Tissier has explained why he thinks Gabriel’s injury has “come at a really bad time for Arsenal.

“He is (one of the best centre-backs in the world.) He is a massive part of why Arsenal’s defence is so good, so it would be quite a blow to Arsenal if that (missing the North London derby) were to happen,” Le Tissier told Football Insider.

“I know they’ve got a pretty good squad now and they’ve got replacements available there who can come in, but because he has been so good, even if your replacement’s really good, you’re probably going to see a slight difference there.

“It’s come at a really bad time for Arsenal, is the thing that I would say. Not only is it the North London derby at the weekend, but the next two fixtures after that, I think are Bayern Munich and Chelsea.

“So if he was to miss all those three fixtures, that’s three pretty big, pretty crucial fixtures, I think. It’s going to be a blow and they’ve just got to hope that it’s not as severe as they first thought.”