MIKEL ARTETA has revealed Arsenal defender Gabriel was ‘shocked’ by the attempted robbery at his house.
Thieves followed the defender and his pal back to his Barnet home following a night out in August and demanded his keys, phone and watch after he stepped out of his Mercedes.
But the Brazilian fought off the baseball bat-wielding thug, landing a jab before wrestling with him.
The masked thug, however, managed to escape with his two other accomplices.
Gunners chief Arteta hailed the centre-back for his bravery, saying: “Obviously it’s not a nice thing to go through when family are involved and they are trying to access your house.
“Gabi showed a lot of character. You see the reaction he had straight away. Credit to the boy.
“After that he was fine.
“Obviously, he was shocked and there were a few things in his life that he wanted to change to prevent those things from happening.”
FREE BETS: GET THE LATEST BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS AND FREE BETS
The club quickly rallied around the 23-year-old and gave him ‘support’ and advice to ensure his and the safety of his family.
Arteta added: “The club gave him all the support he needed to try to forget about the situation, to learn from it and move on.”
CCTV footage released by the Metropolitan Police revealed the harrowing moment Abderaham Muse branded his baseball bat and demanded Gabriel’s belongings.
The footage, which was captured by cameras in Gabriel’s garage, showed the defender quickly part with his belongings before the pair got physical.
Despite managing to flee the scene, Muse was later identified as the culprit and arrested.
And he was jailed for five years last month over one count of robbery and one of possession of an offensive weapon.
His two accomplices, however, have yet to be identified.
During his hearing, Judge Thompson told the conviction-riddled Muse: “You have an appalling record for a man of 26.
“This was a horrific and frightening attack on a group of people who were simply coming home from a night out.”
Gabriel and his Arsenal team-mates will be back in action on Thursday night, travelling to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United.
MORE FOLLOWS
JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET A FREE £10 BONUS WITH 100s OF GAMES TO PLAY AND NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED (Ts&Cs apply)
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
