Gabriel Martinelli has emerged as one of the best players under the age of 21 named by Rio Ferdinand
The former England defender made a list of his top five under 21 players in the Premier League and the impressive Brazilian was on the list.
Martinelli joined Arsenal from Ituano in the summer and he was relatively unknown at the time.
However, he worked hard and came to the attention of football fans with his performances in the Carabao Cup and Europa League.
He has ten goals this season and Ferdinand seems to rate him highly.
The former Manchester United defender named Martinelli among illustrious names like Trent Alexander Arnold, Phil Foden, Reece James and Mason Greenwood.
On picking Martinelli he said: “I watched him against Bournemouth away, Jesus, the way this boy played. He is a proper player.
“I think he’s going to be a major player in world football in years to come, 18-years-old doing what he’s doing.
“The goal against Chelsea alone, normally your legs are gone by them, you’ve got no juice in the legs, he’s got the composure to slot it.
“But his awareness of the way he plays, the way he moves on the pitch, his intelligence to receive the ball, the positions he takes up, he comes inside at the right times, asks the opposing full-back questions, it’s mad, he’s a mature player for such a young kid.”
Martinelli has remained in Arsenal’s first team since he broke into the team under Unai Emery and he has hailed Mikel Arteta’s impact on his stunning career recently as well.
