"Gabi [Martinelli] is another player that even in a moment of adversity you see him training and everything he brings and contributes to the team – his energy, his passion, his motivation – he is transmitting positive emotions to everybody," Mikel Arteta told Arsenal.com
"He tries and goes and goes again … he wants to score a goal and he is ruthless in training in every single action. So the more players you have to add, in the end that gets translated into what happens on the football pitch. Gabi brings something different to the team, and we need players like him."
The Brazilian has been out since July but the last thing Arteta wants is rushing him back and placing too many expectations on him.
"Time is the key word in this industry and nobody’s going to give you time the moment the ball doesn’t go in the net and you lose a football match. You question all the rest.
"So, with Gabi it’s the same. He needs time. He’s done it for a period of time, or in certain moments throughout a game. Consistently for three years, two years, for a year, he’s never done it. I’m sorry, he’s never done it so we cannot put that pressure on him."
Gabi should make a return for the U23s this month and we'll be keeping fingers crossed he can be available for selection from January onwards. He is certainly a mentality monster and we could do with this injection of energy even more than with the sheer footballing quality he brings.
