Michael Owen has hailed Gabriel Martinelli as a ‘shining light’ for Arsenal during their 3-2 win over Liverpool and the ‘unreal’ pace displayed by the winger, as he told Premier League Productions (09/10/22 at 5:30 pm).
The former England striker also praised Martinelli for the role he played during Arsenal’s fast-paced and aggressive start in front of an expectant Emirates crowd on Sunday.
Inside the first minute, Arsenal were in the faces of their opponents, with Martin Odegaard feeding a quite brilliant ball through to Martinelli, who off the shoulder of Liverpool’s defence, calmly slotted home to open the scoring.
Moments before the half-time break, Martinelli was at it again, this time he was sitting down both Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold when he fed a brilliant ball at the far post for Bukayo Saka to score his first goal of the game.
Whether it was Alexander-Arnold, Henderson or second-half substitute Joe Gomez, this was a game that Martinelli took his game to another level.
Throughout the match, the 21-year-old was a constant problem on the flanks because of his movement with and without the ball, as Owen shared his thoughts on the player.
“The pace of Martinelli is unreal,” said Owen. “He’s a real bright light. A shining light, amongst other players, for Arsenal this season. His pace is unbelievable and another hand in the goal.”
MARTINELLI A RISING STAR
Back in 2019, Arsenal secured Martinelli’s talents for just £6 million (GOAL), as they plucked up the then-teenager from Brazil’s lower leagues.
Understandably so, it was a struggle early on for the versatile winger, especially because he had to deal with a change of manager, being away from his family during the pandemic and then dealing with a long-term injury.
But Arteta, along with Arsenal’s technical director Edu Gaspar, slowly but surely nurtured the now-Brazil international into a player causing havoc on the flanks in the Premier League.
Manchester City’s goal-crazy Erling Haaland might well be running towards the Young Player of the Year award already, added with more awards, even though it’s October, but Martinelli can rightfully put his name on that podium also.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
