Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has played down talk linking Kieran Tierney and Gabriel Magalhaes with summer exits from the Emirates.
Neither man made the starting lineup for last weekend's 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest, where left-back Tierney was left out of the squad entirely.
Meanwhile, Gabriel - who formed a strong bond with William Saliba during the 2022-23 campaign - was surprisingly named on the bench, as Thomas Partey, Ben White, Saliba and Jurrien Timber started at the back.
Timber was forced off early in the second half of that match with a knee injury, and the Dutchman - who was replaced by Takehiro Tomiyasu - is now facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines with an anterior cruciate ligament issue.
While Arteta has hinted that his side could enter the market for more defensive additions following Timber's diagnosis, the Gunners boss has stressed that he must try to get the most out of his current defenders, including Tierney and Gabriel.
However, both men have been tipped to advance their careers elsewhere this summer, with Gabriel allegedly being lined up for a big-money move to a Saudi Arabian club.
During Thursday's pre-Crystal Palace press conference, Arteta gave a short, sharp response when asked if the Brazilian could be sold this summer, saying: "There are not any plans on doing anything like that."
Meanwhile, Tierney was omitted from the squad to face Forest in spite of Oleksandr Zinchenko's own absence, as the Ukrainian is yet to recover from a troublesome calf injury.
The Scotland international was heavily linked with a move to Newcastle United earlier this year, but the Magpies have seemingly turned their attention to Chelsea's Lewis Hall instead.
Timber's opportunity could open the door for Tierney to reignite his Arsenal career, though, and Arteta has affirmed that the 26-year-old - who came off the bench in the Community Shield win over Manchester City - is still part of his plans for the current campaign.
"Well, he played the [Community Shield], no? So, a player that played five days before in the final is part of the plans, for sure," Arteta added.
"It's an opportunity for everybody. We're going to need everybody, and everybody is going to be important. The numbers that we have in the squad, especially in those positions are more limited now, so everybody has to be ready."
Tierney has come up with five goals and 14 assists in 124 matches for Arsenal since joining from Celtic in 2019, but he has been hampered by injuries and made just six Premier League starts last season.
Arsenal return to the road to meet Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Monday night, where Arteta is hopeful of welcoming Zinchenko back from his calf injury following the Ukrainian's return to training. body check tags ::
