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Sports News of Monday, 2 March 2020

Source: www.mynigeria.com

Revealed: How United missed out on Martinelli four times before joining Arsenal

Arsenal youngster - Gabriel Martinelli Arsenal youngster - Gabriel Martinelli

Arsenal's prolific youngster, Gabriel Martinelli, has revealed how Manchester United missed out on signing him on four different occasions before he decided to join Arsenal.

Martinelli, 18, has scored 10 goals in 25 appearances for the Gunners since he completed a £6million move from Brazilian outfit Ituano last summer.

Manchester United, according to reports, allowed Martinelli to slip through their noses after having him on trial for four years.

“There was a partnership between Ituano and Manchester United which allowed me to go there every year, for four years, to train with boys my age or older,” revealed Martinelli, speaking in an interview with FourFourTwo magazine.

“That was nice, because I got a first taste of what English football was like.

“I met Marouane Fellaini, Patrice Evra and Paul Pogba, and made sure I got a photo with all of them.”



So why didn’t he join United? “They didn’t make an offer,” he said.

“So I returned to Ituano and kept doing my job there.”

Barcelona could have snapped him too after inviting him to their La Maisa training HQ for a fortnight trial almost two years ago.

“I went to Barcelona in November 2018, stayed at La Masia and trained there for two weeks,” said Martinelli.

“That time, I wasn’t fortunate enough to meet any of the first-team squad because it was the international break – so no Lionel Messi!

“Everything in Europe was completely new to me, and I was really impressed with the facilities at these big clubs: the size of the gym, the number of pitches.”

“Ituano were competing in the Sao Paulo state championship last year, and when I started to stand out, my agent said he wouldn’t tell me about any bids so I could totally focus on my game,” he said.

“But eventually he had to step up the negotiations, so he informed me there were two options. It was a no-brainer to pick Arsenal.

“I wanted to join one of the biggest clubs in Europe, and they were the ones who really showed interest in me.”

Source: Daily Star/FourFourTwo