Mikel Arteta praises Arsenal trio after pre-season victory over Man Utd

Mikel Arteta has praised Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz and Gabriel's performances in the Gunners' 2-1 win over Manchester United in a pre-season friendly.

The trio flew to the United States to join the rest of their teammates after enjoying a summer on international duty with their nations. Havertz played a crucial role in Germany's home Euro 2024 campaign, but was unable to progress in the tournament after facing a defeat to eventual winners Spain in the quarter-final.

Meanwhile, Martinelli and Gabriel reached the quarter-finals of Copa America with Brazil, losing on penalties to Uruguay. They returned to Arteta's squad in time to face the Red Devils and received heaps of praise from the Gunners boss.

"They had a day and one training session but they've come back in very good condition," he said after Arsenal's victory. "We know that the boys are high speed at the moment and they're not going to have time to prepare, so they have to catch up with that rhythm and they look really good.

"I think it was a really competitive match, really good opposition for us, and I'm very happy that we managed to win the game. It was a big test against an opponent that are in a good moment. They're having a good pre-season and we have to turn around a result which is great practice for us.

"We're going to play Liverpool next which is a really tough opponent as well. So, it's time to adapt, travel again to a different time zone, different people, different stadiums, and a different kind of opponent. It's all really positive things for us to get better."

Martinelli marked his return to the Arsenal squad with a goal in the final 10 minutes of the game to guarantee victory over United. The team return to action on Thursday when they face Liverpool, led by new manager Arne Slot.

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