Gabriel Martinelli might be out of Arsenal’s squad for a long time after twisting his ankle ahead of the FA Cup third-round match between Arsenal and Newcastle United on Saturday.
Martinelli who was out of football for a long time due to an ankle injury, returned to the squad recently and helped to re-energize Arsenal and returned the London club to winning ways. As expected, he was listed to be a part of Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Newcastle but he sustained an ankle injury while warming up for the match.
Hence, the 19-year-old Brazilian left-winger was forced to miss the match due to the twisted ankle that left him on a hospital bed and in “tears”.
✅ @EmiratesFACup third round
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 9, 2021
Onto the next. We move ✊#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/rgTs61Zhkf
Even though Arsenal went on to score late minute goals to scale through to the next round of the competition through the boots of Emile Smith Rowe and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Arsenal missed the creativity the Brazilian brought to the team in the last couple of games he played for the club.
Arsenal confirmed that the youngster would have to undergo a scan in the next 24 hours to ascertain the extent of the injury.
“I am gutted. I was in my office before the game and one of the medical staff came in and said he twisted his ankle”, Mikel Arteta said after the Arsenal vs Newcastle United match.
“He was in tears and a lot of pain. I’d imagine it’s going to be bad news but we’ll wait to see what’s going on.”
Since Gabriel Martinelli returned to Premier League football on December 19, Arsenal have recorded only one league defeat and three successive victories. He returned from his long-term knee injury to suffer a defeat at the hands of Everton and then played against Chelsea in a boxing day fixture in which Arsenal won 3-1 at the Emirate Stadium.
Afterward, he played a role in ensuring that Arsenal beat Brighton 1-0 away from home on December 29. He however missed Arsenal’s 4-0 win over West Brom on January 2.
If his twisted ankle keeps him out of football for more than two weeks, the 19-year-old Brazilian winger who joined Arsenal on July 2, 2019, from a Brazilian club Ituano for €6.70 million, could miss Arsenal’s league matches against Crystal Palace, Newcastle United, and Southampton on January 14, 18, and 26 respectively.
Meanwhile, Gabriel Martinelli’s countryman and his teammate at Arsenal, David Luiz took to his Instagram page to wish the youngster well, dedicating Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Newcastle United to the injured winger.
