Mikel Arteta says he initially had different plans for Arsenal youngster Marquinhos

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed he had different plans for young Marquinhos this season, but they had to be changed after his side’s summer transfer business.

The Gunners signed the teenager from Brazilian side Sao Paulo for £3 million (Goal) in the summer. Everyone expected him to be sent out on loan, but circumstances forced Arteta to keep him.

Mikel Arteta says he initially had different plans for Arsenal youngster Marquinhos

Arsenal brought in five new players in the summer transfer window – Marquinhos, Fabio Vieira, Matt Turner, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko.

The Gunners wanted to bring in two more players too – a central midfielder and a winger.

Edu tried hard, but no move materialised for either position. Arsenal, as a result, are very short in those two areas of the pitch – especially out wide, which is why Arteta was forced to keep young Marquinhos at the club.

Arteta claimed yesterday that the 19-year-old has become an important player in his squad now.

Speaking about his squad being short of options, he said, as per Arsenal.com: “This is a comment that I made on the first day after the transfer window, it doesn’t mean we’re not good enough.

“It (the squad) is short and we have used players like for example Marquinhos, we had other plans. But, he’s been an important player, a player that has the capacity.”

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Marquinhos really caught the eye when he was given opportunities with the U21s. In a Premier League 2 game against Manchester United, the youngster showed his class with a goal and an assist.

Jeorge Bird described that assist as ‘breathtaking‘ after the game, and the youngster has been really impressive since.

However, with Reiss Nelson fully fit now Arsenal likely to try and sign a new winger in the January transfer window, Marquinhos could well be sent out on loan to gain some much-needed experience.

That would benefit him massively, and he could come back a much better player next summer.