Oleksandr Zinchenko has only been an Arsenal player a matter of weeks but is already confident the club have a "real diamond" in their ranks in Gabriel Martinelli.
Ukrainian international Zinchenko has enjoyed a superb start to life at the Emirates Stadium following his switch from Manchester City, having played a key role in the opening victories over Crystal Palace and Leicester City.
He has started both matches at left-back behind Gunners forward Martinelli, who has been operating on the same flank in Arsenal's front three, with the pair striking up an immediate understanding. Footage from the weekend showed Zinchenko pulling off a masterful piece of skill to release his teammate down the line, a sign of good things to come for the Gunners.
And now Zinchenko has hailed his Brazilian colleague and tipped the 21-year-old for a bright career to come. “He is incredible, he is a real diamond,” Zinchenko told Standard Sport . “I would say exactly the same things about him that I say about Gabriel Jesus.
“The way these two guys are working — how everyone is working really — every single day is unbelievable. He (Martinelli) has got amazing quality and he’s still young. I am pretty sure he has an unbelievable future.”
Martinelli is highly thought of at Arsenal having impressed since his £6million switch from Brazilian club Ituano three years ago. Injuries have hampered his progress since but he now seems to be back to top form after a decent campaign last term.
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It was Martinelli's performance in the Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool last season which prompted Jurgen Klopp to describe him as an "outstanding" talent.
The youngster has bagged goals in both of Arsenal's Premier League fixtures thus far, scoring the opener against Palace from Zinchenko's assist, while also rounding off the goals with his effort against Leicester at the weekend.
Martinelli's success will come as no surprise to those walking the corridors at Arsenal's training ground in London Colney, though. In scenes shown on the Amazon All Or Nothing documentary, Arsenal coach Steve Round is seen talking to Edu about Martinelli's prospects.
"I love him, honestly, I love him," Round says. "He just needs time, that's all. He's a great kid. He trains every day like it is his last day on earth. He is a diamond, he really is."
Martinelli spoke to the cameras himself and insisted he "doesn't care about money" and only wants to achieve success at Arsenal. "I grew up in a poor neighbourhood with my parents," he said. "When I was young, I didn't have money and they always say 'don't spend a lot of money'.
"But I don't care about the money. I just want to play football and my parents can take care of the money. If you want to be a top player, if you don't give everything today, you cannot improve. If you train [at 90 per cent] you cannot reach up, but if you train at 100 per cent, you can go to another level."
