Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli gave fans a small taste of what he is about during the 3-0 friendly win against Fiorentina last night.
The Brazilian nutmegged an opponent before storming through on goal. Unfortunately, his finish was not as good as his run as he slotted the ball past the post:
No goal at the end but you have to admire the run. Gabriel Martinelli ?? pic.twitter.com/OQh5cBO1al
— Pádraig (@afcpadraig) 21 July 2019
However, fans on Twitter are excited by the potential of Martinelli following his performances in the two friendlies so far:
He’s bit special. ?
— Mark Jones (@markjVFXGAMING) 21 July 2019
He’s only 18 he will be unplayable
— dave (@daviehere) 21 July 2019
He’s gonna play a big part this season! Love this kid!
— Ting (@thountula) 21 July 2019
Reminds me a bit of Reyes
— Liam Clarke (@AFCGooner92) 21 July 2019
an arsenal player…running like this
wow— The Donnie Darko (@TheDonnieDarko1) 21 July 2019
His teammates and Opponents couldn’t keep up. Lightening quick ?
— Mr Rock ℹ (@The_Arsenal78) 21 July 2019
This boy will be some player
— Maxwell Okeke (@Maxwell_Ugonna) 21 July 2019
Wonderful
— ARSENAL9ja (@ARSENAL9ja1) 21 July 2019
15 goals 10 assists, GUARANTEED.
— David Cumming (@DavidCumming) 21 July 2019
Exactly the Brazilian flare we need
— Usmaan Shazada (@ShazadaUsmaan) 21 July 2019
Martinelli was a relative unknown when he was signed from Ituano for £6m earlier this month. The 18-year-old has only made 34 senior appearances in his career so far but the club obviously saw something in him that suggested he had massive potential.
Of course, it’s hard to tell from friendlies alone whether the Brazilian will have an impact in the Premier League, but the early signs have been very promising. Supporters will be hoping he continues in the same vein for the rest of pre-season.