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Former Liverpool player Jose Enrique has showered Gabriel Magalhaes with high praise, calling the Arsenal defender the most underrated player in the Premier League.
Magalhaes moved to England in a reported £27 million deal from Lille in 2020. He has taken time to establish himself before emerging as one of the team's best players this season.
Along with his defensive partner William Saliba, the 25-year-old has helped Arsenal have the second-best defense in the English top-flight and emerge as the leading title contender.
No player in Europe’s top five leagues has made more last-man tackles this season than the Brazilian, who has also completed over 80% of his passes.
Magalhaes' performances have impressed Enrique, who took to social media to tweet:
“Gabriel Magalhaes from Arsenal [is the most underrated player in the Premier League]. “Everyone [is] talking about [William] Saliba because he is younger etc. but Gabriel has been the best center-back in the league and he [is] still 25. But it is true that there are many options out there like [Kaoru] Mitoma, James Ward[-Prowse] [Gabriel] Martinelli and many more.”
Arsenal currently sit on top of the Premier League table with 50 points from 20 matches. They have a five-point lead over defending champions Manchester City, who occupy the second place.
“It’s not ridiculous” - Gary Neville on Manchester United challenging Arsenal and Manchester City for Premier League title
Both Arsenal and Manchester City lost in the Premier League over the weekend. The former was defeated 1-0 by Everton while the latter lost by the same scoreline to Tottenham Hotspur. Manchester United, on the other hand, sit third in the table, having beaten Crystal Palace 2-1.
Speaking on the Sky Sports podcast about the Red Devils' title chances this season, former player Gary Neville said:
"Are we in with a chance again? Look, I don't think Manchester United will get there, I think they will fall short. They're just not quite there, but they're doing really, really well and they're competing again. They look happy, too, and that’s a really big thing."
He added:
"It's not ridiculous to say they could win the title. I don't think they will and I've never thought they will this season because it's a bit early for that, but I would be getting worried if I was Manchester City. The fans will start getting worried now with the way they're playing and the way Pep Guardiola is tinkering with the team."
