Marquinhos shines in Arsenal U21 debut as Tomiyasu sees minutes

Marquinhos scored and provided an assist in his Arsenal debut as the U21’s secured a 3-1 win over rivals Manchester United, while Takehiro Tomiyasu completed 45 minutes as he builds up to a return.

The 19-year-old winger was the star of the show for Mehmet Ali’s side, and with Mikel Arteta in attendance as per Jeorge Bird, the Brazilian put his best foot forward.

The winger started on the right-hand side and was an immediate threat going forward. He managed to get on the score sheet just after the halftime break as he cut inside and let fly with his left foot, only to have his shot blocked, but fortunately for the 19-year-old, it fell back to him, and he neatly slotted home into the bottom corner as he gave Arsenal the lead.

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Marquinhos wasn’t finished there, however, as just four minutes later, he produced a scintillating piece of skill to set up an assist for Miguel Azeez. The Brazilian made a daring pass with the outside of his boot, reminiscent of Tomas Rosicky, as he grabbed an assist for the Gunners’ third goal.

It was just about as a complete performance as you could have, and the 19-year-old set up both Olayinka and Sagoe Jr for great goalscoring chances at the beginning of the second half, but both failed to find the net.

Signed from Sao Paulo for a fee of €3.5 million, the 19-year-old was seen as one for the future, but given his efforts at Meadow Park, Mikel Arteta will undoubtedly have something to think about. With Nicolas Pepe seemingly on the outer, a spot could open up for some first-team minutes should the Brazilian continue in this kind of form for Ali’s side.

Marquinhos created numerous chances, with many just begging to be put away, and one could argue that all of the Gunners’ goals were down to his superior play. His game had everything. He threatened whenever he picked up the ball; he was cool and calm in possession, and perhaps most importantly, he didn’t try to do too much. If there were a teammate in a better position, he would simply lay it off.

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While it was a sensational performance from the 19-year-old, he is still developing, but he would have given Arteta something to think about going forward.

Another important thing for the club was that first-team right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu completed 45 minutes for the U21s as he continues to build up his fitness after being plagued by injuries all preseason.