Chelsea centre-back Thiago Silva has singled out Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli for praise following his inclusion in Brazil’s World Cup squad.

There was some criticism of the 21-year-old’s selection back in South America but, speaking before Thursday’s 2-0 win over Serbia, Silva said he rates the Gunners forward very highly:

“Martinelli is really showing what he’s about. He’s playing without fear and, if he gets the chance to play, I don’t think it will faze him and he’ll just do what we know he can do. I think all attacking players at the top level need that little bit of arrogance – that they know they can do something special – and he has that.”

Neither Martinelli nor Gabriel Jesus started against Serbia which may surprise some Arsenal supporters considering both have been in excellent form so far this season.

However, Brazil manager Tite has a wealth of attacking talent at his disposal. With the likes of Neymar, Richarlison, Raphinha, Vinicius Jnr, Rodrygo and Antony also available, it’s not surprising that Martinelli has been consigned to bench duty for now.

With Neymar having picked up an ankle injury, though, we may yet see a lot more of the Arsenal star as the tournament in Qatar goes on. Brazil face Granit Xhaka’s Switzerland next up on Monday evening.