Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli has told The Daily Mail that he enjoyed his training spells at Manchester United.
The 19-year-old – who is a rising star at Arsenal and was described as “special” by manager Mikel Arteta in Football.Lonon in December 2020 – had training spells at United in summers when he was younger and before he turned professional with Ituano.
Martinelli told The Daily Mail: “For three or four years, I used to practise at Manchester United, I would come to England, usually in the middle of the year, for about 15 or 20 days.
“It was a great experience, because I could find how European players behaved, how they defend, how they attack, how fast it is in their game.
“I improved a lot and brought it all back with me to Brazil, always trying to secure my place in the team. My dream was to play in Europe and these practices in England helped me do it.”
Mistake from Manchester United?
Martinelli joined Arsenal from Ituano in 2019 for a transfer fee reported by Football.London to be worth £6 million.
The forward is already a regular in the first-team squad at Arsenal, and he could become a big star for the Gunners in the coming years.
It is interesting that United did not make any offer to the striker despite having watched him closely in training when he was younger, as reported by Football.London.
The Red Devils’ loss seems to have been Arsenal’s gain, and given that Martinelli is only 19 years of age, there is every reason to believe that he will improve and get better.
According to WhoScored, Martinelli has made two starts and one substitute appearance in the Premier League for Arsenal this season after recovering from injury.
However, the striker suffered a twisted ankle before the FA Cup tie against Newcastle United on Saturday evening, and Arteta has told Football.London that he hopes that by Monday it will be clear how bad the injury is.
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