Arsenal star Declan Rice has claimed that Gabriel Martinelli blew him away in training right after he joined the club last month.
The Englishman has been around in the Premier League for a long time now. He has trained with plenty of top-quality players in the England setup, but he says he was shocked to see Martinelli.
Here’s what Rice said about the Brazilian on TNT Sports.
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Declan Rice says Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli is faster than Bukayo Saka
Arsenal‘s two wingers, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, have been magnificent for us over the last few years.
The two youngsters are among the best wide players in the Premier League right now, and it’s thanks to them that we spent such a long time on top of the Premier League table last season.
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Arsenal will be hoping to go a step further this campaign, and the addition of Declan Rice gives us a great chance of achieving that.
The midfielder spoke to Rio Ferdinand yesterday about Arsenal and his new teammates. Rice was asked about the player who surprised him the most, and he quickly named Martinelli.
He said: “The one who, when we was away in America, he was… I’ve never seen someone so sharp in training, was Martinelli. He’s so sharp, honestly!”
Ferdinand then asked if he was sharper than Saka. Rice replied: “Saka is sharp but I feel like Martinelli, he’s faster. 100 per cent! Them two on the wings is frightening.”
TBR View:
Martinelli is a superstar.
The Brazilian has always been sharp and rapid, but he was electric in pre-season. To many people’s surprise, he looked even better in the opening game of the season against Nottingham Forest last weekend.
Martinelli looked like a man trying to prove a point, and Mikel Arteta said he absolutely loved that performance from the young Brazilian.
Arsenal take on Crystal Palace next, and we’re sure Martinelli will keep his place in the side.