Arsenal defender David Luiz has heaped praise on the mentality of Gabriel Martinelli, who has made a strong impression since his summer move to the club. The 18-year-old was a relatively unknown when he was signed from Ituano during the summer but he has quickly made an impact with seven goals across all competitions.
Speaking to 90min, Luiz said that Martinelli has a great mentality and his compatriot has the chance to progress into a top quality player for the Gunners, he told: “I’m not going to say who is the best talent, but the best mentality at the moment is Martinelli. He has a great mentality, it is special, he is a top guy, a top player, but what really impresses me is his mentality on the training ground, and the way he reacts to scoring goals, like at Anfield, and how he continues to work with a great mentality. He is taking his opportunity step by step and he has the same focus, determination and respect for everything and he is so mature for his age.”
Martinelli has scored each of his seven goals in the Cup competitions and he has yet to make a similar impact in the Premier League. Due to the competition for places, he has been restricted to a bench role since the start of the season but he may not be far away from pushing for a starting spot with the north London giants.
Martinelli recently earned his maiden call-up for the Brazil Under-23s and he could not find the net against USA. Nonetheless, there were plenty of positives with the forward getting a couple of chances on goal and he could feature for the nation during the pre-Olympic qualifying phase at the start of 2020. Brazil Under-23s picked up a 1-0 triumph over USA on Thursday. Matheus Cunha scored the winner.