Jack Wilshere thinks Gabriel Martinelli is heading for the top with Arsenal, and he’s praised Mikel Arteta’s handling of the youngster.

Jack Wilshere has been impressed by a few of Arsenal’s young players during his recent spell training with the club.

The former Arsenal academy midfielder had plenty of good things to say about “the obvious ones” – Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe.

But Wilshere had particular praise for young forward Gabriel Martinelli, as well as the way Arteta has handled the player so far.

“The one who I really like and think he’s going to be top, is Martinelli,” Wilshere said. “I think what the manager has done with him has been genius as well.

“When I first went there he was training, coming on, not playing much, but training really well and I was thinking, ‘He’s going to get a chance here’ and he eventually got his chance and he’s been brilliant.

“He was the Player of the Month and he’s been brilliant and he trains like that every day as well.”

Martinelli has four goals and two assists in 870 Premier League minutes this season, with all six goal contributions coming in Arsenal’s last nine league games.

With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s departure, Arsenal are going to need other goalscorers to step up for the remainder of the season. Martinelli is certainly among the group capable of doing so.

That puts a fair amount of pressure on the 20-year-old’s shoulders, but that doesn’t seem to have been a problem for him so far in his young career.