Martinelli drops injury update after seven-month-long absence

Gabriel Martinelli is optimistic about fully recovering from his knee injury and returning to action before the end of the year.

Gabriel Martinelli enjoyed a meteoric rise in his debut season at Arsenal, but his development was forced to cut short as he picked up a severe injury in the second half of 2019/20.

The highly-talented Brazilian suffered damage on his left knee in training in June and was subsequently ruled out for the rest of the season.

March 2 was the last time he stepped onto the pitch for competitive action when Arsenal beat Portsmouth 2-0 to make the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

The 19-year old was able to win the support of the Arsenal fans in the few chances he got after arriving from Ituano last summer, scoring 10 goals in 26 games across all competitions.

He is now on the road to recovery and is expected to return to full training at the end of 2020.

“I’m feeling very well, I’m regaining confidence and I can feel my knee is better,” Martinelli told Arsenal Player.

“After an injury like this you are kind of scared to force the knee again but the past couple of weeks it has been fine and soon I can start training with the ball.

“I believe this season is very promising. We won trophies last season and I believe we can win this season again and also qualify for the Champions League.”