Arteta feels Arsenal must protect young starlet Martinelli

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is very pleased with 18-year old Arsenal starlet Gabriel Martinelli and his spirit. Afterall, he has already scored 10 goals in all competitions this season.

He has definitely exceeded Arsenal’s expectations, however, Arteta feels that he has a long way to go and thus must be protected.

“For him there is still a long way,” Arteta said of Martinelli, according to Sky Sports. “We have to bring him down. I want him to train with his head down every day and slowly he will start to earn the praise if he does what he needs to do every day.

“But it is not about one or two days. I heard a lot of things about Gabi before I joined and the moment I saw in training, it was confirmed the things I was told before.

“I think the way he competes and how brave he is in every decision on that pitch is very unusual for an 18-year-old.

“His fighting spirit is incredible and then he is a threat for goal every time.”

“We have to support him and protect him. We cannot just give him the license to think he can do that every single day.

“He needs to play with that freedom where he has the license to do what he wants to do on the pitch, but with the pressure really that it doesn’t always have to be him to do it.”

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