Arsenal hero Martin Keown is yet to be won over by Pablo Mari.
The ex-Gunners defender insisted the fit-again Spaniard must be given time to reach full fitness rather than be thrown into the weekend's game with Tottenham.
He told BT Sport: “At the moment, I still think he's a little bit short.
“You can see that he's had an operation. He's been out for a hell of a long time, so he's got to get that back again and it's about developing.
“Gabriel is the best central defender and he plays on the left side, so for me, he's the first choice. And he's going to have a hell of a job to get ahead of him."
