"Yesterday [Friday] in training he wasn’t comfortable," Arteta revealed after the Burnley win when asked to elaborate on White's absence. "He didn’t look right. But Ben won’t give you much. He always wants to be on the pitch and he wants to hide anything that is in there.
"But we highlighted something happening there that we noticed in the last two weeks as well. We wanted to protect him today. It was the right call from the physios and the medical department and tomorrow we will assess him and understand what’s happening."
Instead Martinelli could find himself as the central striker away from his usual position on the left wing and while Arteta may consider deploying him down the middle for Arsenal, he has been sent a subtle positional message by Timber. Speaking to Premier League the versatile defender was asked to name Martinelli's best attribute with the Netherlands international praising the qualities undoubtedly best on show when played out wide.
“The best thing about Gabriel Martinelli is his skill, and he’s quick of course,” he said. Before his injury, Timber was playing at left-back and while he was often inverting there could certainly be chances for him and Martinelli to combine effectively later this season and the 22-year-old could play a pivotal role in the final months of Arsenal's season as he will likely feel like a new signing to Arteta.
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