Arsenal fans got a jolt of good news just in time for Sunday’s showdown with Manchester United: Gabriel Martinelli is back!
The Brazilian winger, sidelined since early February with a hamstring injury, has defied the odds—and his boss’s timeline—to rejoin the squad for the Old Trafford battle, according to The Athletic.
Manager Mikel Arteta had pegged his return for after the international break, but the 23-year-old’s speedy recovery has Gunners grinning.
It’s a lifeline for an Arsenal attack that’s been limping without its big guns. Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus remain out with no central striker in sight, while Bukayo Saka’s four-month hamstring saga drags on—though he’s eyeing a comeback later this month.
Martinelli’s return is a shot in the arm, even if Arteta’s likely to ease him off the bench rather than throw him straight into the fire. “He’s probably not starting unless he’s been tearing it up in training,” a source quipped.
The Gunners head to Manchester buzzing off a 7-1 Champions League demolition of PSV Eindhoven, shrugging off Premier League stumbles against West Ham and Nottingham Forest.
Mikel Merino, Ethan Nwaneri, and Leandro Trossard—the makeshift front three—found their groove in that rout, joined by Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori, and a fired-up Martin Odegaard, who bagged a brace and vowed to “step up” as the season heats up.
Martinelli’s seven goals and three assists in 35 games this term make him a weapon Arsenal desperately need. With United reeling and Arsenal chasing Liverpool’s lead, his early comeback could be the spark to ignite their title push.
