Gary Neville admits he's worried for Arsenal star who needs 'care and attention'
Mikel Arteta's side picked up their second straight win this season with an impressive victory over Champions League outfit Aston Villa, but Gabriel Martinelli struggled to get into the game before being subbed off
Gary Neville has claimed Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli "needs more care and attention" after struggling to make an impact during their 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday.
Mikel Arteta 's side picked up their second straight win this season with an impressive victory over Champions League outfit Villa, with goals from Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey seeing them over the line in the Midlands.
Martinelli was picked to start the game after also playing 90 minutes in their season opening 2-0 win against Wolves last week, but the Brazilian struggled to get into the game before being hooked on 65 minutes for Leandro Trossard - who opened the scoring just minutes later with his first touch.
Neville said he was concerned about the performance of Martinelli during the game after noticing he looked unsure of himself while running against Matty Cash, questioning whether he was suffering from a lack of confidence.
The Sky Sports pundit said he needed "attention" from Arteta to bring him up to a high level, having shown glimpses of quality during Arsenal's bid for the title last season.
"That one player I would say just needs that little bit of belief back in his game is Martinelli,’ he said, speaking to Sky Sports. "It was really obvious to me because he was down here in front of us in the first half. I noticed it because when a winger is playing against a right-back I think what do I not want.
"There was a moment in the game when he was counter attacking against Pau Torres and Matty Cash in the early part of the game. You want him driving at the standing foot of a right-back and he’s definitely hesitating when he’s got the ball and not quite sure what to do. I can’t decide if that’s a lack of belief or confidence or if he’s take the safe or cautious option at times.
"There were moments in that game where it was so obvious he had five or 10 yards start on his right-back and the space to go was there. He’s one that needs a bit of care and attention at the moment because he’s not quite there."
Martinelli had a solid season for the Gunners last term, making 25 starts in the Premier League, scoring six goals and laying on four assists. In the Champions League, he scored twice and assisted once.
The 23-year-old has been with Arsenal since 2019 and club legend Ian Wright is concerned that the winger will soon be replaced in the team if he doesn't up his game.
He told Premier League Productions: "Yes, we know Martinelli has a lot of pace and when he is in form he is very, very dangerous but what we know with Leandro Trossard is his movement and appreciation for the rest of the team in what he does.
"We saw him come on and score and create a goal. He is someone you look at now and say, yeah, he’s saying, 'What do I need to do to start?'."
Speaking about the competition between Martinelli and Trossard after the game, Arteta said: "We have two great left wingers. I decide to play Gabi [Martinelli and he had a good performance but when I decided we had to change to game because it was taking a different route, he [Trossard] came on and made the difference and big credit to him."
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