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Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli was supposed to be the next big star at the club but right now, he can’t even get a start under Mikel Arteta.

Martinelli burst onto the scene last season but a series of injuries have stopped the Brazilian progress and this season, the 19-year-old has played in only five Premier League games so far.

He had been out for a few months due to a knee injury but he’s returned to full fitness now and everyone is keen to see him feature in the starting line-up. But over the past couple of weeks, all he has done is warm the substitutes bench.

Gabriel Martinelli remained an unused sub for Arsenal’s previous four league matches and a repeat of the same happened against Leicester City this weekend. A lot of people have been wondering why the youngster cannot get game time and speaking after Sunday’s win, Mikel Arteta explained why the Brazilian has been missing from action, despite being fully fit.

He said after the win vs Leicester City, as per Arsenal.com: “Well, he needs to keep working and making it difficult for us.

“He is a player that is going to give us a lot, but we need some time to find the right games for him and the right connections with him on the pitch so that he can do what he does best.

 

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“But the way he is and the way he trains every day, he is going to be a really important player for us, no doubt. But when you have many options, it is difficult when you look for certain qualities in certain games.”

Gabriel Martinelli has three more years left on his current deal with Arsenal so the youngster does not need to hit the panic button anytime soon. Also, he’s just 19 years old.

Arteta has a lot of attacking options available to him right now but the fate of a few of them could be decided at the end of this season. And if players like Lacazette and Willian are sent out them Gabriel Martinelli is sure to move up the pecking order.

Read: Arteta explains why he did not take any gambles vs Leicester City.