GABRIEL MARTINELLI scored once again for Arsenal on Thursday night to earn the praise of former Gunner Robin van Persie.
A well-placed header from the Brazilian helped his side beat Vitoria 3-2, making it five goals in his last five games.
Van Persie knows a thing or two about hitting the back of the net and admitted he is very excited by the 18-year-old’s start to life in North London.
Speaking on BT Sport, the Dutchman said: “Hes young, hes 18 years old and the moves he makes and dummies he makes, he looks very good to me, especially at that age
“I was playing on the wing at that age! With time he will get even better, he looks very good.
“He knows where the danger is, where the space is. He scored a great goal.
“What I like about him is his link-up play, he looks lively, he looks technical, he looks very good to me, its a joy watching him.
“Five in five is a great start.”
Martinelli’s goal made it 1-1 at Emirates Stadium as Arsenal struggled to beat plucky Group F rivals Vitoria.
Unai Emery went into the Europa League meeting under big pressure and relied on two late free-kicks from Nicolas Pepe to secure the points.
And the nature of the win will keep the focus on coach Emery, who van Persie fears lacks real leadership qualities.
He continued:“I’ve had Wenger, Louis van Gaal, Ferguson – so many coaches – and the main quality was to be clear.
“If I’m really honest, someone sent me a video of [Emery] trying to explain something, and I couldn’t really figure out what he was saying.
“That’s very important, you have to be clear. You have to be a leader and a leader has to be clear towards his players.”
Arsenal face Crystal Palace on Sunday looking to return to the top-four and banish the memories of the Eagles’ 3-2 upset at the Emirates late last season.
