Micah Richards has questioned whether Gabriel Magalhaes is good enough for Arsenal.
The Gunners brought the Brazilian centre-back to North London in a £27 million deal this past summer.
And so far, Gabriel has looked the business, bringing a sense of solidity to an Arsenal defence that has historically looked quite erratic at the best of times.
The 22-year-old has started three of their four Premier League games this season – and the game that Mikel Arteta dropped him for was their only defeat, a 3-1 reverse by Liverpool at Anfield.
The former Lille centre-back has certainly impressed a lot of Arsenal fans thus far, but Richards, speaking to The Daily Mail, suggested that he isn’t entirely convinced.
He said: “Arsenal’s defence still bothers me (is Gabriel the right standard?) but it is evident they are moving in the right direction.”
Arsenal come up against Richards’s former club Manchester City this evening – and suffice to say that if Gabriel impresses at the heart of Arteta’s defence then maybe, just maybe, the retired centre-back might be a little more convinced than he was prior to kickoff.
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