Arsenal star is training well with World Cup squad and he's set for a shock starting spot

By Lee Clarke

Brazil are already through to the last 16 of the World Cup and tomorrow Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli could earn a start. The player has been forced to wait patiently but it’s been claimed by Goal Brasil that Tete has been impressed with him in training.

Martinelli is enjoying a fantastic campaign for the Gunners. They sit on top of the Premier League table, five points clear of Manchester City and the Brazil international has scored five goals.

The 21-year-old has really started to get a proper chance at the Emirates Stadium during 2022/23. He’s been a regular in Mikel Arteta’s team, starting 14 of Arsenal’s 15 fixtures in the Premier League.

Martinelli is tipped to be a future star. He has been forced to wait patiently for a chance to shine but his form this season clearly helped his aspirations to be part of the Brazil squad for the World Cup.

Tomorrow’s game with Cameroon has little riding on it for Brazil. As a result, Martinelli could be in line for a starting berth as Tete looks to rotate his squad ahead of the knockout stages.

Martinelli could earn a start and Arsenal form has seriously helped him

Bravo Mikel Arteta. Last season he fielded questions on why Martinelli wasn’t playing a more prominent role. With how straight he played the questions, he’d have made Geoffrey Boycott blush.

Martinelli deserved his place in the squad for the World Cup in Qatar. His form for Arsenal has been good this season. Ultimately his age dictates that he could well become a start of the future.

The challenge for Martinelli is to prove himself if he’s called upon tomorrow. If he does that he could keep his place in the side for the favourites to win the competition as the tournament reaches the business stages.

The youngster is a quality player. From an Arsenal perspective they will be delighted to hear that he’s not resting on his laurels and is instead knuckling down on international duty.