Martin Odegaard has become the latest player to heap praises on Gabriel Martinelli, even though they have hardly shared the pitch.
Martinelli burst onto the scene at Arsenal last season, having signed from the almost unknown Ituano.
He became one player that the club could rely on in their rough patches when the likes of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were underperforming.
Mikel Arteta also found him useful when he became Arsenal’s manager and relied on him for excellent performances.
The attacker suffered a long-term injury late last season and it ruled him out for a very long time.
He is now working his way back into the team and can count on Odegaard as a new teammate.
Because Martinelli hasn’t been a regular, Odegaard has hardly shared the pitch with him, yet the on-loan midfielder has seen enough of him to say he is a “big talent”
He said the Brazilian is very talented and has a glorious future ahead of him.
Asked if there was an Arsenal youngster that had particularly impressed him, Odegaard told the Premier League: ‘Yeah. Obviously we have Bukayo [Saka] and Emile [Smith Rowe] and they are already playing so much. But I think one guy who hasn’t played that much lately is Gabi Martinelli.
‘He’s such a big talent, you see him in training every day and you see it. He’s a really talented player with a lot of qualities, so I think definitely he’s one for the future. And he’s so young still, so I will go with him.’
Asked if Martinelli can make an impact for Arteta’s side, Odegaard added: ‘Yeah definitely. As I said, he’s really young so he just has to keep working hard – as he’s doing every day in training.
‘He will reach his goals because, from what I see every day in training, he’s a top, top talent. ‘For him it’s just about continuing doing his work and then everything will come for him.’