Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli faces more than a month on sidelines with hamstring injury

Arsenal attacking midfielder Gabriel Martinelli is facing more than a month on the injury sidelines following a hamstring problem, according to The Athletic journalist David Ornstein.

The 23-year-old Brazilian was withdrawn against Newcastle United on Wednesday as the Gunners suffered a 2-0 loss in the second-leg of the semi-final of the Carabao Cup.

Martinelli travelled with the Arsenal squad to Dubai for a mid-season warm-weather training camp earlier this week, but he will not be returning to action anytime soon.

The forward is expected to miss the Premier League games against Leicester City, West Ham United and Nottingham Forest later this month, and he is also a doubt when they face Manchester United and Chelsea next month.

The Arsenal star could also be unavailable for the Champions League round of 16 games in a huge blow for manager Mikel Arteta and his squad.

The North Londoners are already without Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus in attack, and they did not strengthen their squad during the January transfer window.

Arteta may have to deploy Ethan Nwaneri regularly in attack following the latest blow, while Raheem Sterling could get more opportunities to impress despite an uninspiring loan spell so far.

The Gunners attempted to sign Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins during the window, while they also expressed interest in Alvaro Morata to the player’s representatives, but both moves fell through and they have to make do with their current attacking options until the end of the season.

Fortunately for Arsenal, Saka appears to be nearing a return to first-team training having travelled with the team to Dubai, and he could be back in action next month.

They could do with such an influential player as they head into the business end of the Premier League and Champions League, and Arteta will hope other important players can manage to stay fit going forward.