Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard has been a major hit at the club since joining them, and Gary Neville has heaped praise on him.
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has now lauded 24-year-old Arsenal playmaker Martin Odegaard, claiming that Pep Guardiola would love to have him at Manchester City.
Neville said on his podcast, “Just one thing I wanted to say about Arsenal and it’s about [Martin] Odegaard actually. Odegaard, it takes a lot to say this, but when you think of sort of the most beautiful football players that we’ve watched in the last seven of eight years in the Premier League, I always think of David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne being just something that you watch and you’re like, that’s how to play football.”
“And Odegaard, I’m not saying he’s as good as David Silva or Kevin De Bruyne 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. He was always a talented player but now we’re talking about something that is very different than just talented, this is real class.”
“You now start to be mentioned in the sort of realms. Pep Guardiola I think if you said take one player out of this Arsenal team, I think he’d take him in an absolute heartbeat. Every time I watch him he gets better and better.”
Odegaard has been an indispensable asset for Arsenal, and he is undoubtedly one of the best midfielders in the league right now. He managed to score 15 goals across all competitions last season and he chipped in with eight assists along the way as well. The 24-year-old would undoubtedly improve any team in the league. So, it is no surprise that Neville believes that Odegaard would have been a good fit for Manchester City.
The Premier League champions love to use technically-gifted midfielders, and Odegaard could have fit in well at the Etihad. Working under a manager like Guardiola, who prefers free-flowing attacking football, would have suited the 24-year-old midfielder as well.
Odegaard has shown that he is more than just a good footballer at Arsenal. He has established himself as a prominent member of the dressing room is also the captain of the club. He is only going to improve with coaching and experience and could develop into one of the best players in the world with the right guidance.
Having a player like him in the side would give Manchester City more options to work with. He is versatile enough to operate as a central attacking midfielder, an advanced central midfielder as well as a winger. Odegaard has the technical attributes to fit into multiple roles, and he would make a huge difference in the final third for Manchester City.
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Arsenal will not want to lose a player of his quality anytime soon, and they will hope that he can help them win major trophies in the coming seasons and lead the team as the captain. Odegaard helped Arsenal challenge for the league title last season and he will hope that the Gunners can go all the way this season and win the Premier League. Arsenal certainly have a capable squad and they are likely to push for major trophies in the coming months.
