Gabriel Martinelli has indicated he will be fit for Arsenal's crunch London derby with Chelsea on Boxing Day, in a boost for under-fire boss Mikel Arteta. The Spaniard was left fearing the worst last night when the forward was forced off in the second half of the Carabao Cup quarter-final thrashing against Manchester City.
It was Martinelli's first start of the season upon return from a serious knee injury.
The 19-year-old came off the bench in the 2-1 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park last Saturday but with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang still missing through injury, Martinelli's return has come at the perfect time for the Gunners.
Yet in the closing stages of the first half, there was a major scare for supporters when Martinelli was left writing around in pain on the turf following a clash with City goalkeeper Zack Steffen.
The American cleared his lines before clattering into the shin of Martinelli, who was on the verge of tears following the full-blooded challenge.
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After the game, Arteta made it clear he was delighted with the return of his forward and hoped he would be okay to return this weekend.
“I was really happy with Gabi,” said Arteta. “He looked really sharp in training.
“He looked as he always is, with his energy and the passion that he has. He was really good but he picked up a really bad kick on his shin and he had to come off, because he wasn’t comfortable carrying on playing.”
The Arsenal boss later confirmed he did not think the injury would keep Martinelli sidelined.
“I don’t think it will be too serious," he added. “But he will need a couple of days. I am really pleased with another young player’s performance as well.”