Granit Xhaka has backed Marquinhos to mirror Gabriel Martinelli's rapid rise through the ranks, suggesting he could play an important first-team role for Arsenal this season.
Marquinhos, 19, became the Gunners' first signing of the summer as he joined in a £3million transfer from Sao Paulo in June. He has been training with the senior squad during pre-season and his most recent appearance came in the 4-0 victory over Chelsea in the United States in late July.
This suggests Mikel Arteta may have big plans for the Brazilian during the campaign proper as he continues to put his faith in young players. Martinelli, 21, is another player to benefit from the manager's emphasis on youth and racked up a career-high 36 appearances in all competitions last term, scoring six goals.
The forward joined from Ituano in 2019 and many expected he would have to forge a path through the youth set-up before establishing himself in the first team. However, his talent was evident to then-manager Unai Emery, who handed him his senior Arsenal debut in a Premier League fixture against Newcastle the month after his arrival in North London.
Xhaka is confident Marquinhos can follow in his compatriot's footsteps and make a similar impact at this early stage of his fledgling career. "He reminds me of Gabi Martinelli when he first came, the midfielder told Arsenal's match day programme of Marquinhos ahead of last Saturday's fixture against Sevilla.
"Everyone was saying, 'yeah, he will go to the Under-23s first' and stuff like this, but how Gabi adapted at this level was unbelievable, and I have the same feeling with Marquinhos as well. For his age, he is very developed physically, very fast, good left foot. Of course, he needs to adapt to this level first, this country as well, but I see a big future for this guy."
How many goals will Gabriel Martinelli and Marquinhos score this season? Have your say in the comments!
Marquinhos was an unused substitute for the Emirates Cup clash against Sevilla, which Arsenal won 6-0 thanks to a hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, double from Bukayo Saka and late strike from Eddie Nketiah. Arteta has a wealth of options in attack, with Emile Smith Rowe and Nicolas Pepe waiting in the wings for opportunities.
However, heavy rotation is inevitable at times this season given Arsenal have returned to continental action via the Europa League. This could pave the way for Marquinhos - a natural right-winger who is left-footed - to earn valuable first-team minutes and show off his potential and ability on the grand stage.
