Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno has talked up Gabriel Martinelli on BT Sport, saying that he is always ‘on it’ in training.
Martinelli’s mentality has been praised by his Arsenal teammates before, and Leno is now also on record as an admirer of the Brazilian youngster.
Martinelli scored his first Premier League goal of the season for the Gunners last weekend against Sheffield United.
And it seems that Leno has high hopes for the teenager in the coming years.
“He looks very sharp all the time because his mentality is unbelievable,” he said.
“I think you can expect there will be a lot more to come because in training he’s on fire all the time.
“That’s why everybody is happy for him because he brings positive energy, especially in bad moments, because of his body language and mentality. For our team he’s very important.”
Martinelli actually didn’t start for Arsenal on Thursday night against Slavia Prague, which caused some controversy.
The exuberant attacker is already a fans’ favourite at the Emirates Stadium, and Mikel Arteta’s decision to leave him out raised eye brows.
However, Arteta got the call right, as his replacement, Nicolas Pepe, scored in Arsenal’s 4-0 win.
Martinelli may now have a chance of starting at the weekend, when Arsenal take on Fulham on Sunday.
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