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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has hailed youngster Marquinhos and has claimed that the young Brazilian has become a popular figure at the club.
The 19-year-old winger joined the Gunners this summer from Brazilian side Sao Paulo and had a debut to be remembered.
The teenager was instrumental in the Gunners’ 2-1 win over FC Zurich away in the UEFA Europa League opener on September 8. He scored the opener and assisted Eddie Nketiah for the winner.
Prior to his senior debut for the north Londoners, the Brazilian under-17 international made three appearances for the club’s under-23s.
He made a solid impression in the Premier League 2, scoring thrice and assisting once. This earned him his senior debut and he took the chance with both hands.
Arteta has praised the youngster and claimed that he is already very popular at Arsenal for his attitude and willingness to learn.
However, the Gunners boss has claimed that the winger has a lot to learn and also has a language barrier to overcome. Arteta said, as quoted by Arseblog:
“I was looking more at the faces of the rest of the staff and players [when he scored on Thursday]. He’s a player that is very popular with no English, just with his smile and the attitude he has. He’s earned the respect and admiration of everybody here."
He added:
"It was a big step because he hasn’t played enough minutes with us, we were willing to give him the opportunity, I think he deserved it, I think he took it really well and he’s a player that needs to keep developing. In order to do that, we have to give him minutes and opportunities."
Arteta has claimed that Marquinhos will have more opportunities coming his way as he develops as a player. He added:
“We want to build the steps. When we’ve asked him to play with the under-23s, he’s done incredibly well. His attitude [according to] every coah and player has been seen as it cannot be any better. That’s what we expect from the players, that’s why he got the chance against Zurich and he might get another chance very soon.”
Arsenal will be in action away against Brentford in the Premier League on Sunday, September 18.
Marquinhos already looks like a solid acquisition by Arsenal
Arsenal signing Marquinhos this summer as one of their five signings shows that the club is doing well in terms of player recruitment.
The Brazilian made his move to the Emirates for just £3 million and early signs indicate that it will go down as a bargain.
The Arsenal teenager has been included in the 40-man shortlist for the 2022 Golden Boy award, according to Arseblog.
With a very young and talented core of the squad available at Arteta's disposal, the future looks extremely bright for Arsenal.
The Gunners are currently at the top of the Premier League table, one point above Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
