'I’m not very positive': Arteta makes worrying injury claim about Arsenal 'superstar'
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was quizzed about the reason why Gabriel Martinelli hobbled off the pitch in the Gunners’ 2-1 defeat to Everton last night.
Mikel Arteta’s men went to Goodison Park looking to bounce back after the loss at Old Trafford. However, they were really poor from the very first minute and deserved to leave the pitch empty-handed.
Despite the poor performance, Arsenal led the game for a long period. With better game management in the second half, they could well have come away with a win, but their inexperience in difficult moments cost them the three points.
To make things worse, Martinelli had to be replaced in the second half due to an injury. Arteta revealed after the game that it may not be a minor one.
Arteta: Martinelli felt something in his hamstring
After going down holding the back of his thigh in the second half, the Arsenal medical team decided that he had to come off. Martinelli was replaced by Eddie Nketiah in the 71st minute.
Asked about the Brazilian’s injury, Arteta said, as per Football London: “I don’t know we will have to assess him.
“He felt something in his hamstring so I’m not very positive about it.”
TBR View:
Martinelli, labelled as a future ‘superstar’ by Aubameyang, is one of Arsenal’s brightest young players. His teammates couldn’t really bring him into the game last night, but whatever he did, he did fairly well.
Sadly for the young Brazilian, he may have to spend a little while on the sidelines. That would be a real shame as Martinelli has suffered a lot with injuries already over the last year.
Arsenal don’t play again until Saturday and the club’s medical staff will release an update about his injury by then. Gunners supporters will be praying it’s nothing serious, but Arteta’s comments won’t fill fans with any confidence.
