Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes has withdrawn from the Brazil squad which will face England and Spain this week.
The 26-year-old has become a regular with the national side since the previous World Cup, which saw Brazil crash out to Croatia in the quarter-finals at the end of 2022.
At club level, alongside William Saliba, Gabriel has played a pivotal role in Arsenal's title push this season, as the Gunners have the best defensive record in the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta's side go into the international break top, as none of the top three were in league action at the weekend due to the FA Cup quarter-finals.
That means that Arsenal's last fixture was their penalty shoot-out victory over Porto in the Champions League last Tuesday, where Gabriel played 120 minutes.
With no visible injury issues to Gabriel following the match, he was initially named in the Brazil squad for the upcoming internationals, but manager Dorival Junior has revealed that the central defender has now pulled out.
"I had already communicated previously that we work with a slightly more extensive list. A pre-call, we can put it that way, and again, today, we had another casualty. Unfortunately, Gabriel Magalhaes is uncalled. In his place, we are calling [up] Bremer." Dorival explained.
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Gabriel has played all six of the Selecao's CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers so far, but has come in for criticism from pundits and supporters over his performances.
Brazil have taken just seven points from their opening six qualifiers, and are only just inside the automatic qualifying positions with one-third of the section played.
South America getting two extra automatic spots for the next World Cup makes it highly likely that Brazil will be in no trouble of missing out, but results have been concerning.
While Bremer was the man brought into the squad to replace Gabriel, it is expected that Paris Saint-Germain defender Lucas Beraldo will be the man to take his place in the side.
Arsenal supporters will be glad to see Gabriel not in action this coming week, considering a trip to title rivals Manchester City awaits on their return.
Fellow defender Ben White will also remain in North London for the break, after he refused a call-up from the England squad after a fallout during the previous World Cup.
Andrew Delaney
