Mikel Arteta admits he understands why Arsenal star suffered World Cup snub

Mikel Arteta has sent an encouraging message to Gabriel after the Arsenal defender was left out of the Brazil squad for the World Cup.

However, the Gunners manager admits he understands Tite's decision not to take the in-form centre-back to Qatar next week. Gabriel was one of the high-profile absentees from the Brazil squad announced on Monday, alongside Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino.

The 24-year-old has been imperious in the Arsenal backline this season, forming a formidable partnership with William Saliba to help the Emirates club go top of the Premier League with the joint-best defensive record in the division. Despite his impressive form, Gabriel is still yet to earn his first cap for the Selecao and will not feature in the Middle East this winter.

Instead, Brazil manager Tite has selected Chelsea's Thiago Silva, Paris Saint-Germain's Marquinhos, Juventus ' Gleison Bremer and Real Madrid's Eder Militao as his four centre-backs for the World Cup. Gabriel is yet to directly respond to missing out on a place in the 26-man squad but did respond with heart and fist-bump emojis when a fan wrote a message to him on social media which read: "I saw you grow up in football, brother. You are the pride of our neighbourhood."

Speaking ahead of Arsenal's third-round EFL Cup tie with Brighton on Wednesday night, Arteta gave his verdict on Gabriel's snub, calling on the former Lille stalwart to channel his heartbreak into improved performances. "For Gabi, it's a disappointment," the Spaniard said.

"But when you look at the squad that they [Brazil] have and the experience they have in that position, you have to understand that and it's another challenge for him. He needs to be ready for the next one, he needs to improve and carry on with the good things that he's been doing."

Did Gabriel deserve to go to the World Cup with Brazil? Have your say in the comments!

Brazil are the bookmakers' favourites to win their sixth World Cup and will be confident of progressing from a group containing Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon. While Gabriel has missed out on a spot in the squad, Arsenal teammates Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus made the cut.

"For Gabi Martinelli, it's his first one [tournament] and I think it's a huge achievement to be part of the national team," Arteta added. "For Gabby Jesus, it's great as well because he needed that call after what happened in the last one [when Tite did not select him in September].

"Obviously, there is a lot of attention and a lot of media coverage. I'm sure they get asked a lot of questions because it's a matter of days now. You cannot stop that but we want to keep our players as focused as possible on the job that they have to do for the club in the next two games."

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