Mikel Arteta has paid tribute to Arsenal sensation Gabriel Martinelli.
The Brazilian attacker hasn’t played for Arsenal since March due to injury but a return to full training, combined with 45 minutes for the reserves last week, suggests that a comeback to senior football isn’t too far away for the 19-year-old.
And it looks like the player himself is champing at the bit to get back.
Arteta was speaking to Football London ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Everton tomorrow evening, and the Spaniard has claimed that Martinelli is training at ‘100 miles an hour’ right now and giving the whole training ground a lift.
He said: “Gabi, the spirit of enthusiasm, energy, belief, charisma and goals. And this is him. He’s around the training ground, he’s around the training session and the energy is different.
“Because he goes 100 miles an hour he’s got this passion this way of playing, and he’s a threat he’s a player that he’s been missing because he brings something special to the team.”
Martinelli, a £6 million signing in 2019, scored a blinder of a solo goal away to Chelsea a couple of months before the Premier League season was suspended due to the ongoing global health crisis.
And that right there is evidence that when he does come back, Arsenal, who have scored 11 times in 13 Premier League games this time around, are going to benefit in a big, big way.
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