Gabriel Martinelli: “Manchester United Opted Not To Sign Me After Trials”

Despite many tryouts with Manchester United at the junior level, Gabriel Martinelli explains that the Red Devils ultimately decided not to sign him.

Gabriel Martinelli made his Premier League debut with a stunning equaliser for Arsenal against Chelsea after the arrival of Mikel Arteta as manager. Before then, the Brazilian used to consistently score in cup tournaments. But it is under the guidance of the Spaniard that he has continued to develop into a world-beating player.

This season, Martinelli has established himself as a key member of Arsenal’s front three. He has battled with Emile Smith Rowe for the left-wing position regularly. In recent months, Arteta has opted to start him over the England international. The attacker has returned the coach’s confidence with several electrifying outings on the pitch.

He is likely to be a major member of Arteta’s squad moving forward. There are expectations that the attacker will do great things in the future. Some have already predicted that he will follow in the footsteps of the legendary Frenchman Thierry Henry. However, he has a long way to go before he can get close to the legendary Frenchman.

Arsenal has already begun making preparations to guarantee the long-term futures of important players at the club. Notably, Martinelli and Arteta, will both be handed new contracts soon. Among those who are regarded torchbearers for the future are Smith Rowe, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka, the Brazilian is one of the most prominent.

What did Gabriel Martinelli say about his Manchester United trial?

Martinelli, on the other hand, may have been representing one of Arsenal’s competitors. Manchester United had opted not to sign him while he was still at the club’s youth level. After at least four tryouts with the Manchester giants, the Brazilian disclosed to The Athletic that they ultimately decided not to sign him.

“I went through four separate tryouts at United when I was 13, 14, 15, and 16. In Manchester, at the club’s training facility, where I was in the same age group as Mason Greenwood and Brandon Williams, I had a similar experience.”

“Had the opportunity to speak with first-team players such as Zlatan (Ibrahimovic), Paul Pogba, Wayne Rooney, and Patrice Evra. There was never a point, though, when they explicitly said that they wanted me to (sign) there. However, it provided me with a taste of English football and made the transition a bit simpler since I was already familiar with the game. Even after going through such difficulties, I never lost faith in myself. Am constantly thinking in my head, ‘I can accomplish this,” Martinelli said.

Given how well Martinelli has improved at Arsenal in recent months, it would be fair to suggest that Manchester United made a mistake. That is by passing up the opportunity to sign him despite having him on trial many times throughout that period.