Michael Owen has praised Gabriel Martinelli and says he expects Mikel Arteta will start building his team around the Brazilian and other top youngsters at the club next season.
Arsenal has enjoyed the talents of Martinelli since he joined and broke into the club’s first team.
A long-term injury ruled him out for much of the first half of this campaign, but he has returned to become one of Arsenal’s best players in the games he has played so far.
He was in fine form and provided an assist as the Gunners beat Newcastle United at the weekend and Owen praised the quality of his assist for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s goal, among other things.
“They have a lot of good players, don’t they Arsenal,” Owen said on Youtube.
“I like these players (Martinelli) that find half a yard and cross it early (assist v Newcastle), as a centre-forward that’s exactly what you want.
“You see, first time cross, the defence cannot get set. And the goalkeeper cannot get set. He (Martinelli) has played centrally and he knows that what (Aubameyang) prefers as a centre-forward. It was a brilliant ball to round it off.
“I think Mikel Arteta is going to start to build his team around some of these players.”
Arsenal fans have been asking for Arteta to use the Brazilian more often in recent games, but he hasn’t listened to their pleas, Martinelli has proven why he has to be the key man at the club again.
Perhaps Arteta is trying to protect the youngster from having too much responsibility too soon.