Former Manchester United midfielder Jose Kleberson has described Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli as the “most important” attacker to the Gunners right now. It comes as the 20-year-old continues to impress in the first-team. Martinelli’s performances have even earned him a call-up to the Brazil senior men’s squad for the March international break, where he could be handed his debut. His nine goal involvements across all competitions has seen him make the left-wing position his own, with manager Mikel Arteta lauding his form. Discussing the forward back in December,
Mikel Arteta said: “He [Martinelli] trains incredibly hard, he is always willing to do more and he is not scared or afraid to take risks – and that is what I like about him. You cannot play every action at 100mph, it is impossible. It is not very efficient for you because you burn yourself out after a few minutes, and then you’re just chasing a situation and not reading exactly what is needed. Gabi is doing much better at that. We have to try to do that without losing the passion, the energy and this capacity he has to just affect the game with the way he acts on the pitch.”
That progression has seen the Brazilian become a near guaranteed starter on the team sheet each week, with his recent performance against Liverpool continuing the praise. His ability to cause problems for Trent Alexander-Arnold only highlighted his ability and potential further. In light of his performances, former midfielder Kleberson has lauded Martinelli as the most important Arsenal attacker right now.
