Bukayo Saka lifts lid on ‘crazy’ Arsenal team-mate Gabriel Martinelli

Arsenal youngster Bukayo Saka has lifted the lid on his 'crazy' team-mate Gabriel Martinelli.

The Brazilian returned in December from a serious knee injury that ruled him out for 12 months.

Mikel Arteta has been keen to slowly reintroduce the 19-year-old back to the first-team, who was showing real signs of progress prior to his injury.

It has led to Martinelli being restricted to a number of appearances on the bench, with the likes of Nicolas Pepe and Willian ahead of him in the pecking order.

Saka has worked himself to becoming one of Arteta's most important players.

He has made 27 appearances for the Gunners this season, scoring five and making four assists.

But the 19-year-old has praised Martinelli for his ability to just never stop running in training – despite his recent injury woes.

He said: “Just watch him play and press, the way he goes he doesn’t stop.

“He’s not only just fast, he can also run a long distance at that same speed and just get faster.

"You look at his Chelsea goal he didn’t slow down or get tired.

"It’s not just his pace it’s his engine as well. It’s crazy. It’s like he’s got a battery pack on his back.”

Just last month, Arteta begged for patience over the Brazilian – who scored 10 goals last season.

He said: “I would like to talk about potential, more than what it is at the moment, because for him there is still a long way.

"The stature of this club, to give him the key to do that straight away is not fair on him. We have to bring him down.

“I want him to train with his head down every day hard, and slowly he will start to earn the praise if he does what he needs to do every day, but it is not about one or two days."

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