The exclusion of a noteworthy member of Arsenal’s U21 squad for their latest fixture on Friday evening has hinted at his potential inclusion amongst Mikel Arteta’s first-team ranks this weekend.
The player in question? Marquinhos.
Brazilian starlet Marquinhos, of course, opted to take his talents to north London earlier this summer.
Ahead of the expiration of his contract with Sao Paulo, the talented wide-man was identified as a potential star in the making by fellow countryman Edu Gaspar, culminating in a cut-price Gunners switch coming to fruition early in the window.
Marquinhos has since gone on to enjoy a fine start to life in England’s capital, racking up four direct goal contributions across a trio of appearances in the Premier League 2.
And, if the latest word stemming from the Gunners’ youth setup is anything to go by, then such form could soon see the Brazilian youth international rewarded.
This comes after Marquinhos, out of the blue, was omitted from Mehmet Ali’s U21 squad to face Brighton.
Just 24 hours on from Nicolas Pepe sealing a return to France with OGC Nice, murmurs have therefore begun to spread that Marquinhos is in line to take the Ivorian’s place in Mikel Arteta’s first-team setup this weekend.
Arsenal are set to return to action on Saturday evening, when they welcome capital rivals Fulham to the Emirates for a Premier League clash.
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