When the arrival of Marquinhos from Sao Paolo was confirmed there weren't too many who were sure what to make of the deal. The Brazilian winger was coming to North London as a relative unknown having made just 33 appearances in his fledgling professional career.
The noises coming out from the club were that the Brazilian was a long-term project. "At 19, he is still very young, so he is a player for the future," said technical director Edu of his signing
Thus far there is still a bit of uncertainty over what exactly Marquinhos ' role at Arsenal will be this season. However, if his debut performance for the under-21s is anything to go by, it seems the teenager could be ready to contribute in the here and now.
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The Brazilian was by far and away the standout performer against Manchester United under-21s in a game where Arsenal ran out comfortable 3-1 winners and perhaps should have won by a greater margin. While others around him were slight, Marquinhos carries the physicality of a player capable of competing in the men's game.
This trait proved useful on occasion as he was able to bulldoze through the Manchester United defence, but the variety in his game was what stood out most. The 19-year-old was just as happy to go down the wing in order to put in a cross - as he did for Miguel Azeez's goal - as he was to cut inside and left off a shot on his stronger left foot - as he did in the build-up to Khayon Edwards' equaliser on the day.
This unpredictability has been encouraged by the Gunners coaching staff. “He’s a left-footed inverted winger playing off the right,” said Arsenal's under-21 coach Mehmet Ali. “He’s got the licence to come inside and combine with the centre-forward or get shots off, but we try to have aggressive full-backs and midfielders who also support at the right times.
“You see Bukayo ( Saka )’s goal (against Palace), I know it was an own goal, but he goes on the outside, gets a cross in and it’s 2-0 to the first team. He (Marquinhos) has the freedom to decide whether he goes inside or out, but it’s our job to make sure we’re getting the ball to our front-half players and then letting them show what they can do.”
Making sure Marquinhos has the platform to succeed is something Arsenal have really made a priority. The Brazilian only moved to train with the 21s the day before Saturday's clash at Meadow Park, but did so with strict instructions from first team assistant coach Albert Stuivenberg to ensure he was able to maintain a focus on what he has been working on with the first team.
“Marquinhos’ first training session with us was (on Friday),” Ali said. “He’s been with the first team and working very hard. I got a really good brief from Albert (Stuivenberg) and the first-team staff on what they wanted from him, then it was my job to relay that information to him and make sure it links with what he’s doing with the first team.”
Perhaps his performance early on was helped by the experience of Takehiro Tomiyasu behind him. The Japanese international was given 45 minutes at Meadow Park to make up for the lack of pre-season games he has had as he continues to recover from the muscle injuries that blighted the latter half of his debut campaign in North London.
Arsenal are keen not to rush Tomiyasu back and with Ben White performing well at right back in the first team, it does now appear that they have the luxury not to. This is in stark contrast to last season where they were forced to rush him back for the League Cup semi-final second leg defeat to Liverpool in a match that only went on to aggravate a calf injury that would keep him out for nearly four months. Regardless of how long he is with the 21s though, it is clear that Ali is happy with the impact the Japan international is having on his young players.
“We’re always guided by the first team in terms of players coming down and he (Tomiyasu) was great,” Ali added. “Even yesterday in training, his application. We had a team meeting this morning, his focus, eye contact and body language, he’s a true professional and that’s why he is where he is. It’s great for our lads to see that. In terms of his performance, he did everything we asked of him.”
Even after Tomiyasu was withdrawn at halftime though, Marquinhos continued to blossom, scoring a goal himself to put Arsenal in front just moments after the break before providing a delightful assist for Miguel Azeez's third. After the game his teammates were glowing in their praise of how quickly he has been able to form connections with them, echoing the sentiments of the first team upon whom he made an impact during their tour of the United States.
Of course, though, his performance was not perfect. There were occasions where the 19-year-old was sloppy in possession and you do wonder if a few looser touches might have been more severely punished at first team level. But in front of the watching Mikel Arteta Marquinhos' maiden Premier League 2 appearance could not have gone much better.
It is still unclear what the plan is for him this season. “That information hasn’t been relayed to me,” Ali told football.london when asked if the intention was to keep him with the under-21s for the foreseeable future. “I’m sure the first team will have a plan. Our job in the under-21s is to be flexible and adaptable for whatever the first team needs.”
Arsenal have Europa League group stage games where the 19-year-old could be a contender to feature, while Carabao Cup games also offer a chance for minutes. His first team exposure could well be impacted by activity in the transfer market over the coming weeks relating to players ahead of him in the pecking order like Nicolas Pepe and Reiss Nelson, while a loan can also not be entirely ruled out at this stage.
But having come with very low expectations it is refreshing to see Marquinhos grabbing the attention so quickly. There has been much talk about the so-called 'mystery winger' that Arsenal are targeting in the final days of the transfer window, but Arteta may have just had the player he wanted to fall right into his lap already.
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