Gabriel Martinelli has praised the performance of his Arsenal teammate Marquinhos, who starred for Brazil in the Under-20s World Cup on Saturday evening. The 20-year-old, who has spent the last six months on loan from the Gunners at Championship side Norwich City, was a late inclusion to Brazil's squad for the tournament but he has more than justified he was deserving of a spot in the team.
After the opening day defeat to Italy, Marquinhos was brought into the team for the remaining two group games against Dominican Republic and Nigeria. Brazil hit six against the former with Marquinhos part of a free-flowing attack before he then scored and played a part in another goal in the 2-0 win over Nigeria on Saturday evening which confirmed Brazil's spot in the round of 16.
Following his performance, Marquinhos took to Instagram to celebrate the win. He captioned the picture: "Ranked! Very happy about the great team performance and helping with a goal. Let's go Brazil! In the replies Martinelli was quick to respond to his fellow Brazilian's display, saying "Bravo brother" *red heart emoji*.
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While on loan at Carrow Road, Marquinhos has only scored one goal and grabbed one assist from 11 games, but more importantly he has been awarded consistent minutes. Most of his appearances have come on the right of the attack which could place him as the perfect contender to be Arsenal's next Saka.
A Premier League loan could be the next step in his development, but depending on how pre-season goes, he could be integrated back into the first-team picture. Alongside playing at right wing, Marquinhos was deployed in a central midfield role for Norwich against Sheffield United.
That position was also handed to him in the Brazil vs Nigeria game where he scored from midfield, proving he could be an option to replace Granit Xhaka as well. The Switzerland international is in advanced talks to seal a move to Bayer Leverkusen this summer in a £13million deal, football.london understands.
His ability to thrive in two different roles will also be music to the ears of Mikel Arteta who is usually more inclined to keep hold of versatile stars. Marquinhos will now be preparing for the Under-20s World Cup knockout stages before returning for pre-season in north London ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
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