Gabriel Martinelli has been one of Arsenal’s best young talents since the turn of the new decade, standing out as one of the beacons of light in a 2019/20 season filled with highs and lows.
He added a new dimension in attack for manager Mikel Arteta’s new-look Gunners side, and was largely impressive before missing out on the closing stages of last season due to a knee surgery: including the successful run to the FA Cup final.
Since then, he has not featured for Arsenal and has been spending time in rehabilitation.
Martinelli has already made quite the impact since his arrival at Arsenal. Photo via Arsenal Insider on Instagram
Recent updates suggest that he has been progressing well and has been inching close to a return to the pitch: he was even pictured in the club’s training base in Colney recently.
Eagle-eyed fans have noticed a surprising transformation in the Brazilian forward’s physique: he has put on a significant amount of weight while recovering from the aforementioned knee injury.
Martinelli’s brand new look has gone viral amongst Arsenal fans on Twitter, who are looking forward to seeing him back in action even more now as the 19-year-old is no longer a skinny teenager: he looks quite the physical force to be reckoned with.
Some fans compared Martinelli’s incredible transformation to Bayern midfielder Leon Goretzka: who also underwent a similar transformation coming out of the lockdown caused by the worldwide pandemic.
Many footballers took the period of isolation as an opportunity to boost their physicality and offer themselves and their teams an extra dimension on the pitch: Martinelli’s recent pictures suggest that he has made himself the latest inclusion to that list.
Arsenal fans would be hoping to see their promising young talent back in action as soon as possible: his new look suggests he might as well act like a new signing to aid Arteta in their pursuit of Champions League football.
