Gabriel Magalhaes made his first league start of the season for Arsenal in their 1-0 win over Norwich City and he was one of their best players.
The Brazilian joined the Gunners last summer from Lille and made a bright start to life in North London.
However, he soon struggled for form consistently and he ended the last campaign struggling to displace Pablo Mari from the starting XI when the Spaniard is fit.
This campaign offers him the chance to shine and Ben White can bring out the best in him.
White partnered Mari in Arsenal’s opening league game of the season, but the Englishman tested positive for covid-19 and missed Arsenal’s next two league matches.
They conceded seven goals in both games against Chelsea and Manchester City.
The international break gave him time to recover from the disease and it also helped Gabriel to step up his recovery from injury and the Brazilian partnered White as Arsenal defeated Norwich.
The Daily Mail praised him for his contribution to the game, they wrote:
“After a shocking start to the season that encompassed three successive defeats, Arsenal got their first league win of the campaign as they beat Norwich 1-0 at home.
“While much of the focus at Emirates Stadium was on the new signings, including Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White, the return of a player who joined the club last summer, Gabriel, could also help to push Mikel Arteta’s team up the table.
“The Brazilian centre-back enjoyed an encouraging start to his Arsenal career before suffering a dip in form but he will hope to truly establish himself during his second season in north London.
“An impressive reader of the game, Gabriel is capable of making precisely-timed interceptions and did so one occasion against Norwich when White had been caught out.
“Although he is far from the finished article, the 23-year-old certainly seems a significantly better option than Rob Holding or Pablo Mari.”