Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Man Utd passed on signing new Arsenal talisman for three reasons, as true scale of colossal blunder becomes clear

Arsenal forwards Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli

Why Man Utd opted against signing new Arsenal favourite Gabriel Martinelli despite repeated trials has been revealed. 

The winger, 21, joined Arsenal in 2019 from Brazilian side Ituano. The Gunners forked out around £6m for his signature, a fee that can only be described as an incredible bargain given his rapid rise.

Indeed, Martinelli has locked down Arsenal’s left wing this season and is adding end product to what was already an incredibly threatening game.

He’s bagged four goals and two assists in the league this season and is earning rave reviews for his menacing displays.

Rio Ferdinand was the latest to wax lyrical about Martinelli. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is a long-term admirer and recently insisted Martinelli is turning into the player he always knew he’d become.

“I was excited about him from very early on,” said Klopp. “He became exactly the player I expected he would be.”

Clearly, Arsenal have pulled off a transfer masterstroke with Martinelli. However, he could very easily have been earning those same plaudits for Manchester United.

It’s common knowledge Martinelli took part in multiple trials with the Red Devils while still a teenager. However, exactly why United opted against snapping up such a promising young player hasn’t been detailed – until now.

Three reasons Man Utd snubbed Martinelli

The Manchester Evening News shed light on what went wrong for United, and narrow it down to three reasons.

Firstly, United chiefs reportedly had concerns over his ability to withstand physical opponents.

Martinelli took part in three separate United trials in 2015, 2016 and 2017. It’s claimed he would ‘regularly get pushed off the ball’ and struggled against ‘physically imposing defenders’.

Yet his talent wasn’t in question and further trials followed after that initial assessment in 2015.

He started for the club’s Under-16s in a 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough in 2016. In 2017, he joined the Under-18s and featured as a substitute against Lincoln City.

His inability to handle the physicality of the English game was present again, though that wasn’t the only reason United walked away.

The £6m fee demanded by Ituano was reportedly deemed high by United officials at the time.

Furthermore, United did not want to hamper the progress of the budding talent they already had in their academy. While not named in the report, Anthony Elanga is one relevant winger United had bubbling up nicely in their youth ranks at the time.

The report adds Man Utd weren’t alone in failing to spot the player Martinelli would become. Barcelona too took Martinelli on trial and turned their nose up, much to Arsenal’s eventual delight.

Could Martinelli leave Arsenal?

If the Brazilian continues to perform as he has so far this season, the vultures will quickly begin to circle.

Arsenal are clearly a club trending in the right direction and will hope their project allows them to retain their biggest stars.

What’s more, one pundit has suggested they may even be able to ramp up their additions and go for players the calibre of Jude Bellingham very soon.

However, Martinelli’s future has come under the microscope in recent days thanks to his contract status.

His current deal expires in 2024 and the club hold an option for a further 12 months. Arsenal are understandably keen to offer him a new deal that would include lucrative new terms.

However, despite an encouraging update from Football Insider, the Daily Mail report a breakthrough is a long way off.

The newspaper claimed an extension is ‘not even close’. Furthermore, Arsenal may have to almost triple his wages to make a deal happen.

The Mail reported he earns around £70,000-a-week at present. Martinelli reportedly wants parity with the club’s top earners and is seeking around £200,000-a-week.

That would put him in the same ballpark as Gabriel Jesus and Thomas Partey. Bukayo Saka too will be in that region once his new deal is signed.

TRANSFER GOSSIP: Man Utd starter wants out as three Euro giants plot bitter Ten Hag blow; Chelsea to axe two in January