Gary Neville waxes lyrical over Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard after Everton win
Arsenal enjoyed a rare win on Merseyside thanks to Leandro Trossard’s superb strike with 20 minutes remaining in their match against Everton on Sunday. Although it was the Belgium international who walked away with the man of the match award, it was his skipper, Martin Odegaard, who largely orchestrated the victory.
Mikel Arteta is hopeful the former Real Madrid starlet will soon put pen to paper on a new contract and Gary Neville understands why the Arsenal boss is so keen to secure Odegaard’s long-term future. The former Manchester United defender believes the Norwegian would be Pep Guadiola’s first pick if he were able to recruit one player from his title rivals.
Odegaard’s Talents
Neville told Sky Sports: ‘Odegaard, it takes a lot to say this but when you think of the most beautiful football players that we’ve watched in the last seven or eight years in the Premier League I always think of David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne being just something you watch and you’re like that’s the way to play football.
‘Odegaard, I’m not saying he’s as good as De Bruyne or Silva yet, I think he’s got a bit to go in his career, but he’s getting to a point whereby now when I watch him play it is so smooth, it’s so silky. I knew he was always a talented player but we’re now talking about something that is very different and just so talented, this is real class.
‘I think he now starts to be mentioned in the realms. Pep Guardiola, if you said could take one Arsenal player out of this Arsenal team I think he’d take him in an absolute heartbeat. He would break into that Manchester City team because he’s a beautiful player to watch. Every time I watch him he gets better and better.
Arsenal Must Recognize Odegaard’s Talent
Neville added: ‘Arsenal must recognise what they have, I’m talking about the Arsenal players who must feed him as much as they possibly can. The more he gets on the ball in the final third the more football matches, assists and goals they’ll have in matches.’
Odegaard has been a revelation since joining Arsenal on loan from Real Madrid in January and his performances have been instrumental in helping the Gunners climb up the Premier League table. He has already registered four assists in five games this season and his ability to unlock defences with his passing has been a key factor in Arsenal’s resurgence.
Conclusion
Gary Neville’s comments are a testament to Odegaard’s talent and it is clear that he is one of the best creative players in the Premier League. If Arsenal can secure his long-term future then they will have a player capable of taking them to the next level. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.