Former West Ham star claims Martin Odegaard never got ‘enough credit’ before recent Arsenal crisis

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Martin Odegaard was once again highly influential for Arsenal as they dispatched West Ham United 5-2 at the London Stadium on Saturday.

The club captain has recently returned from injury, and has immediately been able to make an impact.

Martin Odegaard opted to remain at Arsenal throughout the recent international break in order to focus on his fitness, and that decision has paid dividends for the North London club.

Arsenal hugely missed Odegaard during his absence, as he is both the leader and creative hub of the team. The difference that having him back in the side has made in recent matches has been truly enormous. 

• READ MORE: A timeline of every Arsenal captain during the Premier League era from Tony Adams to Martin Odegaard

Shaka Hislop hails Arsenal star Martin Odegaard

Rio Ferdinand has already claimed that Odegaard is better than ever since returning from his injury, seemingly having manage to somehow improve whilst he was sidelined. 

However, former West Ham United goalkeeper Shaka Hislop has now simply suggested that the Norwegian playmaker was not appreciated enough prior to his injury, and that his absence only served to underline his importance to this Arsenal team. 

Speaking on ESPN, he said: “He is such a creative spark for them, I don’t think many people kind of gave him enough credit for, before his injury. 

“Every time he gets on the ball he just seems to have an age to decide what to do, no one can get close to him, and so much of Arsenal’s creative play goes through him.”

Is Martin Odegaard underrated?

It is perhaps fair to say that Odegaard is somewhat underrated, or at least that he has been in the past. 

The 25-year-old just does the simple things brilliantly well on a consistent basis, which can sometimes fly under the radar.

However, Arteta has never been one to underestimate the midfielder’s influence, nor would any of his Arsenal teammates. 

In fact, to a large extent, the Gunners’ Premier League title hopes this season now hinge on him being able to remain fully fit and in form for the rest of the campaign.

Arsenal have undergone an injury crisis already this season, and losing Odegaard was the most damaging aspect of that time. Were the Gunners to lose him for another period, they would surely not be able to maintain the kind of form that they need to produce in order to chase down current league leaders Liverpool.