Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has declared 18-year-old attacker Gabriel Martinelli will be a ‘superstar’ after scoring in the club’s 1-1 draw with Sheffield United.
The teenager opened the scoring in 45th minute for his second Premier League goal and ninth in all competitions this season for the Gunners.
Martinelli moved to the Emirates in July last year from Brazilian club Ituano and hasn’t wasted any time impressing his new fans and teammates.
After scoring in his non-competitive debut in pre-season, he then bagged a brace on his starting debut for the club in the Carabao Cup in September.
The Brazilian scored his first Premier League goal in December and after claiming his second on Saturday, Arsenal’s suspended skipper took to social media to declare that big things await the talented attacker.
‘Gabi’s gonna be a superstar,’ Aubameyang tweeted. ‘Not because of the goal because of the attitude, energy and mindset.’
Aubameyang’s comments were backed up post-match by manager Mikel Arteta, who praised Martinelli’s determination to have an impact.
‘He’s an 18-year-old kid with all the enthusiasm but as well, he’s so brave to make decisions, to threaten the opponent every time,” Arteta said.
‘He’s all the time in the middle of the goal, waiting for an opportunity to come.
‘The fact he hasn’t played 90 minutes for a while – since his injury – but is still in the way he went about every single action is impressive.’
Former Gunners forward Ian Wright was also left impressed by Martinelli’s performance, declaring he managed to fill the void left by Aubameyang.
‘He’s someone that the Arsenal fans are very excited about,’ Wright told Match of the Day.
‘He is someone that is constantly trying to get in the box, he has great movement.
‘When you look at him, he’s sharp, always wants to get in the box, makes good darts into the box. He gets himself into a position and then look at his movement now and he gets the goal.
‘I think he’s under a lot of pressure with Aubameyang not being available. Everyone is saying “he has to come in”, can he fill the boots for the game? I think he did.’