Kieran Tierney took the opportunity in a recent Reddit AMA to praise Gabriel Martinelli, believing the youngster will make himself a world-class player.

Kieran Tierney ran a Reddit Ask-Me-Anything on Friday, answering a variety of questions from Arsenal fans. A couple of his answers relating to Gabriel Martinelli showed how highly Tierney rates the young Brazilian.

“When I first did a full training session with the team I was put up against [Gabriel Martinelli] and the intensity of his play was honestly mindblowing,” Tierney said. “I thought to myself ‘this is the standard I need to be at to play for Arsenal’.

“I think his hunger and drive and his talent together at one is more than enough to be a world-class player for many years.”

It’s always a good sign when an 18-year-old is setting the bar in terms of hard work. You want every Arsenal youngster hungry and desperate to get on the pitch and prove themselves.

Also, it’s nice to hear the players rate Martinelli so highly behind-the-scenes as well. Not only is it good that he’s testing them in training, but it’s also a positive sign that he isn’t just getting lucky on matchday. He’s performing day-in day-out over the season.

Obviously, we’ve seen on the pitch how hard Martinelli works regardless of the situation. He’s one of few who is always up for it. Whether it’s a League Cup game against Nottingham Forest or we’re 3-0 down to Manchester City.

If he can match that desire with consistent individual development in the coming years, he’ll certainly reach the top.