Arsenal should replace the injured Noni Madueke with Gabriel Martinelli rather than Eberechi Eze. 

Mikel Arteta has got some tough lineup decisions to make, as he recently saw the return of Bukayo Saka, who had been out since August with a hamstring injury that he suffered against Leeds.

Saka returned on Sunday against Man City, featuring in the second half. However, Saka’s return was dampened by the fact that Noni Madueke suffered a knee injury which is expected to see him 0ut for a significant period of time.

Madueke had been filling in for Saka whilst he was out and doing a great job, however, now Arteta will need someone to fill in for Madueke. New signing Eberechi Eze seems the obvious choice, as Arsenal spent £68m on him from Crystal Palace in the summer, but there could be another option instead.

Arteta should play Martinelli in place of Madueke

Amid Madueke’s injury, Arteta will want someone to come in and play alongside Saka in attack, but who does he choose?

In the Man City game, both Leandro Trossard and Eze saw game time before Gabriel Martinelli, but why, because Martinelli’s recent record speaks for itself. He came on as a substitute against Athletic Bilbao in the Champions League and scored, and he also came on against Man City and scored.

That should be enough for Arteta to warrant starting him in Arsenal’s next Premier League game against Newcastle over the weekend, especially considering that now Madueke is hurt, he needs someone to step up.

After the Bilbao game, Arteta expressed his love for Martinelli, both as a player and a person. He told the Guardian: “I adore Gabriel: his attitude, his commitment, his positivity, what he’s willing to do for the team.

“He has such a mentality. He’s constantly willing to learn, very demanding with himself and hopefully that gives him the confidence again. I looked on the bench, I looked at him, and in his eyes I could see that he was ready.”

Click here to see Arsenal’s first team squad ahead of their next league game against Newcastle.