Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has heaped praise on Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard.
Martin Odegaard was once again excellent for Arsenal, as the Gunners secured a 1-0 win against Everton on Sunday.
Having endured a dreadful recent record of Premier League results when playing against Everton at Goodison Park, Arsenal will be delighted to have returned to the Emirates Stadium with all three points in tow on this occasion.
Club captain Odegaard was at the heart of almost everything Mikel Arteta’s side did well against the Toffees. Whilst he didn’t get on the scoresheet or record an assist himself, the 24-year-old Norwegian orchestrated Arsenal’s build up play and directed their press.
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Everton did all they could to nullify Odegaard’s influence, marking him heavily and doubling-up on him. However, the £30 million attacking midfielder was still able to consistently find space and pose a threat to the hosts’ rearguard.
This performance was a continuation of the fine form that Odegaard has shown throughout the new season so far. The £115,000-a-week star has already scored twice this season, having bagged 15 goals and recorded 8 eights assists in the previous campaign.
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Gary Neville compares Martin Odegaard to some Premier League greats
Gary Neville has certainly been impressed with the player that Odegaard has developed into being.
Speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast after Arsenal’s win on Merseyside, the Sky Sports pundit said, “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, he 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 talented, this is real class.”
“He’s a beautiful player to watch, and every time I watch him he gets better and better. 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…assists and goals they’ll have in matches.”
Odegaard is of course yet to match what the likes of David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne have been able to achieve in the English game. However, in terms of raw talent, the Arsenal man is showing he is capable of operating at a similar level to this pair of Manchester City icons.
Arteta is well aware of what he has on his hands in Odegaard. The 53-cap Norway international is at the heart of the Spanish coach’s current vision for the north London club.