Gabriel Martinelli has had a rather impressive introduction to life at Arsenal, and plenty of fans are raving about him.
Unai Emery handed the 18-year-old a rare start for the Gunners’ Europa League group stage fixture against Standard Liege on Thursday night, and he got off to a flier.
Martinelli opened the scoring with a fine header after just 13 minutes, and only two minutes later, he found himself amongst the goals again.
Arsenal raced clear of their Belgian counterparts, storming into a 3-0 lead within the first half an hour, and these Gunners fans have been heaping praise on the Brazilian…
Twitter: @Arsenal Who needs Aubameyang
(@MarkoVonBasten)
Twitter: @Arsenal 18 YEARS OLD AND CLINICAL! INJECT IT!!! (@Mavxric)
Twitter: @Arsenal BALLON D’OR INCOMING (@AlexGam2013)
Twitter: @Arsenal @kierantierney1 @btsportfootball Time to start him Sunday (@xProdigy1994)
Twitter: @Arsenal Nah you can’t teach that striker instinct (@Aubazett3)
Read Arsenal’s verdict
Martinelli looks like a real prospect. He’s been impressive whenever he’s been handed the chance to impress, and he grabbed the opportunity against Standard Liege with both hands.
Whether or not he’s ready for Premier League football remains to be seen, but given the showings of youngsters like Bukayo Saka and Joe Willock in recent times, there is no reason why he shouldn’t be given a fair crack.
Martinelli is playing well, and affording him the platform to continue building confidence should be one of Unai Emery’s targets for the coming weeks.
