Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli has been omitted from the Brazil squad for the upcoming September international break in a move that could actually be a blessing in disguise for the Gunners.
The young winger is one member of Mikel Arteta's seemingly ever-growing Brazilian contingent, none of whom got the call-up for Tite's Selecao squad. However, while the omissions of Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Magalhaes feel more like well-earned rests, Martinelli's place in the Brazil side is still a long way from being secure despite the Qatar World Cup being just two months away.
Martinelli has started the season strongly, with three goals in six Premier League games for the Gunners enough to cement his status as a regular in the starting line-up. It may come as a shock to the winger that the performances he has enjoyed so far have not been enough for an international call-up, something he is always so desperate for.
The 21-year-old has made no secret of his huge desire to represent his country at a World Cup and revealed as much while speaking to Ian Wright's podcast, 'Wrighty's House'. Martinelli explained: "Since I was 7, when I started football, my dad said, ‘when you turn 21 we’ll have the World Cup and you will play'. Every single day, he was like, '2022, we’re gonna have the World Cup'. At that point, he didn’t know I was going to be a footballer."
It is an insight into the kind of pressure the winger has been under for some time and explains his burning ambition to nail down a place in the national side. There are a couple of reasons why Martinelli's omission from the latest squad spells good news for the Gunners, the first being the obvious one in that there is no chance one of their most important players sustains an injury while away on international duty.
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The second reason is not as obvious, but not being selected is almost certainly going to heighten Martinelli's desire to try and force his way into Tite's plans with just two months to spare.
There is now a need for the 21-year-old to try and raise his level even higher, something that is surely only going to benefit Arteta and his own ambitions of guiding Arsenal back into the Champions League after their lengthy spell out of European club football's most elite competition.
Martinelli has only made two competitive appearances for his country, both coming in World Cup qualifiers. He failed to start either, featuring for a combined 56 minutes across the two contests, so he has very little time to impress Tite as the World Cup edges closer.
