Former Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor has warned that Gabriel Martinelli’s lack of game time may become Mikel Arteta’s biggest problem if not well managed.

Martinelli was the hero for Arsenal on Sunday as he came off the bench late in the game to score a 93rd minute equaliser against Man City.

The Brazilian has fallen down the pecking order under Mikel Arteta and is now regarded as a substitute when everyone is fit.

Adebayor in a chat with Premier League Productions, believes that unless Martinelli becomes a first-team player, he will soon become a problem in the changing room and inevitably leave the club.

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“I think that’s where man management becomes very important because you have to be talking to all these players to keep them happy all the time even knowing that they’re on the bench.

“When I was on the bench at Arsenal, I knew that I had Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Robin van Persie in front of me, but it was not easy because every weekend I’m in his (Wenger’s) office telling him ‘I’m here to play, I have to play’.

“This is when you need a manager that can calm the situation down. We have never seen Arteta go through those moments, and I think this is the right year for him to go through this.

“We all have our individual things in our mind whether you like it or not. But at the end of the day, we put into the collective. We have to think of what I can do, what I’m going to bring into the team. If you’re on the bench, it’s hard.

“Martinelli, I think in a couple of weeks we will lose him because if he stays on the bench after this game the head will start going, then the body will follow, then he will spoil the whole training ground.”