Gabriel Martinelli misses Arsenal’s Friday training session
Arsenal attacker Gabriel Martinelli looks set to miss the Premier League derby against Tottenham Hotspur after being absent for Friday’s training session.
The Brazil international suffered a hamstring injury in the first half against Everton last weekend, and he was replaced by Leandro Trossard in the 24th minute.
The 22-year-old subsequently missed the PSV Eindhoven game in the Champions League, and he is now likely to be sidelined for the north London derby.
Earlier today, manager Mikel Arteta said that Martinelli is being assessed and refused to rule him out of Sunday’s early kick-off at the Emirates Stadium.
However, he was nowhere to be seen during Friday’s training session.
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Trossard deserves to start regardless of Martinelli’s injury
Martinelli has been a key player for the Gunners over the past 20 months. Last season, he accumulated 15 goals and six assists in all competitions for the club.
The €80 million-rated star has added another couple of assists this campaign and his absence on Sunday is a blow. However, the club have a quality replacement at hand in Trossard.
The Belgian joined the club from Brighton in January last year and had a brilliant back end to the season, registering one goal and 10 assists in just 22 outings.
He has carried over the good form this term after a bright pre-season campaign.
Trossard scored a vital equaliser in the Community Shield before bagging the winner at Everton with a sublime left-footed strike. He scored and assisted against PSV on Wednesday.
With four goal contributions in just over 200 minutes, the Belgian deserves to start on the left wing against Spurs even if Martinelli makes a surprise recovery.
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