Gabriel Martinelli is slowly becoming a worrying case for Arsenal, or is he?
The Brazilian youngster lit up Europe during the 2019/2020 campaign as he devastated opposition defences with his pace, trickery and finishing in front of goal.
He was even labelled the ‘talent of the century‘ by Jurgen Klopp after scoring a brace in Arsenal’s breathtaking 5-5 draw away to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup.
Should Martinelli immediately return to the first XI when back from injury?
Yes
No
He was ruled out for a long time after injuring his hamstring in training back before football returned in June 2020. However, as all good players do, he bounced back to sensational effect in the Premier League as he breathed some life into what was a turgid Arsenal attack.
The young ace’s endless energy and tiresome closing down was immediately noticeable in the win over Chelsea as youthful exuberance took over from senior flops.
However, he’s been a noticeable absentee recently, featuring in no games since the first-leg draw with Benfica in the Europa League.
There are worries from some quarters of Arsenal fans over his exclusion, including Martin Keown who labelled him a great talent, who voiced his worries after the first-leg win over Olympiacos last week.
I’m here to allay any fears over the attacker’s recent absence by telling you that it’s the former Ituano star’s injury coupled with caution from Mikel Arteta which is seeing the winger miss so many games.
It would be grossly irresponsible of the Spaniard to start a player who suffered such a significant hamstring injury so early in his professional career. Dr Rajal Brar showed his support for Arteta’s slow approach in reintegrating the 19-year-old back into the first-team, voicing his ankle injury prior to the FA Cup clash with Newcastle United as one of the big factors.
With so much football to play, Martinelli will get his opportunity to impress the former Manchester City coach. And given the fact he possesses so much talent, you can’t help but feel it won’t take him long to impress.
