Mikel Arteta is hoping Gabriel Martinelli can help to fill the void created by Bukayo Saka’s hamstring injury, with the England forward likely to miss key fixtures including the north London derby next month.
Arteta confirmed on Monday that Saka was expected to be absent for “many weeks” after tearing a hamstring during the first half of Arsenal’s win at Crystal Palace. That would rule him out of Premier League fixtures including Arsenal’s game with Tottenham on 15 January, the Carabao Cup semi‑final first leg against Newcastle and an FA Cup third‑round tie with Manchester United.
With Raheem Sterling also facing an extended spell on the sidelines with a knee injury, Martinelli is likely to start on the right when Arsenal host Ipswich on Friday after switching flanks at Palace and providing a goal and an assist. The Brazilian scored 15 Premier League goals in 2022‑23 but has only 10 since, however Arteta believes Martinelli is capable of stepping up while Saka is unavailable.
“I think so. Gaby loves it: you give him a challenge and he wants to do it today if he can. He’s a player that likes responsibility and likes having a bigger role. But it’s for all the players to take responsibility. I think it’s something collective. Everybody is going to have to add something else because Bukayo, who we rely a lot on, is not going to be with us.”
Arteta has played down suggestions that Arsenal could bring in reinforcements in January after Gabriel Jesus made a timely return to form against Palace by scoring five times in two matches.
With Sterling, signed on loan from Chelsea to provide backup for Saka, due to have more tests to discover the extent of his knee injury, it could provide more opportunities for Ethan Nwaneri. The 17-year-old has yet to start a league game but has made 10 league substitute appearances this season and scored three goals in the Carabao Cup, although Arteta remains cautious about rushing him.
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“He needs to understand a few things,” he said. “Obviously again for Ethan there’s been a massive step in the last 12 months. But he’s on the journey with us and every time he plays I think he changes games for the better, so that’s a really good sign.”
Source: theguardian.com
