Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes is proving to be a shrewd piece of business from technical director Edu.
The Brazilian centre-half was signed for a reported £26million just over 12 months ago, joining from French outfit Lille after quickly establishing himself as one of Ligue 1's most promising central defenders.
Life in north London began swimmingly for the youngster, picking up the club's player of the month award for September, November and December before he struggled for consistency following some fitness issues in the New Year.
However, Gabriel has started this season in fine form, with the Gunners unbeaten in each of the six matches he has played in this season - conceding just four times in the process.
The tough-tackling defender enjoyed a solid display against Aston Villa on Friday night, registering two tackles, two interceptions and four successful ground duels as Mikel Arteta's side clinched a 3-1 victory over the west Midlands club.
Despite his consistent displays in an Arsenal shirt and the fact that he is still just 23-years-old, Manchester United icon Gary Neville made a bizarre claim after the Villa match, stating that the Brazilian wasn't on the same level as the leaders in the other so-called top six.
Neville said: "They (Arsenal) don't really have outstanding senior players. Lacazette, Aubameyang and Gabriel had a great game tonight, but they're just a level below the outstanding leaders some of the other teams have got at the very top of the league.
"That's a problem for them. They're good players, no problem with that. But if you look at some of the other teams up there, they have absolutely top players in those positions."
Neville's comments were proved to be even more bemusing considering his former side fell to a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool on Sunday afternoon, with United captain Harry Maguire enduring a difficult 90 minutes at Old Trafford.
It was the second time that the England international has conceded five whilst playing for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side, with the Red Devils also on the end of a 6-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last season. Comparatively, Gabriel has never conceded more than three in a league match for Arsenal.
