Arsenal duo Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka were impressed by winger Noni Madueke following his sublime performance against Club Brugge in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.
Madueke has had a mixed start to his debut campaign with the Gunners, but his form has been particularly good since his injury comeback. The Englishman netted a crucial goal in the 3-1 European triumph over Bayern Munich last month.
He stepped up once more against Brugge with a sensational brace. The 23-year-old opened the scoring in the 25th minute with a brilliant solo run before unleashing a powerful shot from outside the box into the top right corner of the net.
Madueke bagged his brace immediately after the break. Martin Zubimendi provided a peach of a cross from the left flank for the former Chelsea man, who had an easy header from point-blank range to double the club’s advantage.
Gabriel Martinelli put the game beyond Brugge’s sight with a fantastic long-range curler before the hour mark at the Jan Breydelstadion.
Soon after the game, Madueke posted on Instagram to which Martinelli replied with ‘What a player’, while Saka wrote ‘Warmmm’.
It was a fine evening for Madueke in Belgium. Beside his goals, Madueke won 100% of his tackles alongside 5 duels.
It was a terrific performance from the £44 million-rated star, who will now be aiming for back-to-back starts at Arsenal.
Bukayo Saka seems destined to return on the right side of the attack in the upcoming Premier League encounter against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Emirates Stadium. He has been a constant presence in the role over the years.
Leandro Trossard has pretty much cemented himself as a regular starter on the left wing this campaign, with 11 goal contributions in 17 appearances, but the Belgian could be doubtful to face Wolves after a recent knock against Aston Villa.
Martinelli is the other specialist left winger in the squad, but manager Mikel Arteta could be tempted to play Madueke in the role, given his good vein of form. He is a confidence player and the manager could trust him with a start on the left wing.
