Arsenal fans are starting to become worried about Gabriel Martinelli, after he was overlooked again yesterday.
Mikel Arteta initially decided to start Willian over him against Leicester City, and then with the team 3-1 up and cruising, he still brought Pierre Emerick Aubameyang on over the Brazilian.
Martinelli has now badly struggled for game time since returning from injury.
And concerns are growing that Martinelli could go the same with as William Saliba, who was ignored and eventually shipped out.
Once Arteta does lose patience with young players it seems hard for them to regain his trust.
The likes of Saliba and Matteo Guendouzi were shipped out on loan quickly, when it became evident that they weren’t going to play.
Of course, there is no evidence that Martinelli will go the same way as the aforementioned pair or that Arteta doesn’t feel he has a part to play – as he is still making match day squads.
It may simply be that Arteta has concerns over using him too quickly, and wants to make sure he is fully fit before throwing him in.
However, if the teenager continues to have to sit on the bench then concerns will rise.
Arteta has argued that Martinelli still needs time to recover from his injury, but the Arsenal man was starting games weeks ago, so that doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story.
And if he does keep getting overlooked, then it would be understandable if a player as talented as Martinelli does become slightly frustrated.
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