Martin Odegaard says one Arsenal player has impressed him a lot lately, he’s been ‘really good’

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Arsenal got off to a winning start in the Premier League on Sunday with a victory over Manchester United.

Martin Odegaard was at the heart of the win, conducting dogged defensive work as his teammate Declan Rice struggled to deliver in the middle of the park.

Riccardo Calafiori’s 13th-minute header was enough for the Gunners to secure all three points, as they ground out a hard-fought victory against a surprisingly competent United side.

It was a tough day for one of Arsenal’s newest additions, although Odegaard is confident he’ll prove to be a success in North London.

• READ MORE: Confirmed Arsenal summer 2025 transfer ins and outs, signings and done deals

Martin Odegaard praises Martin Zubimendi

Martin Zubimendi struggled at times on his Arsenal debut at Old Trafford, finding it difficult to deal with United’s pressing.

The Spaniard was frequently left isolated at the base of the Gunners’ midfield, as Declan Rice produced a below-par display.

That said, he improved as the match developed, slowly coming to terms with the pace of the Premier League.

The deep-lying playmaker was also excellent in pre-season for Arsenal, something Odegaard was keen to highlight when asked about the midfielder on the Men in Blazers podcast.

“Yeah, he’s been really good in pre-season,” Odegaard said.

“And I’ve played a little bit with him before in Spain, you know, so I knew his qualities. A top player, as you say, he can find any pass, you know, he can break the lines, he can drive with the ball.

“He’s also so smart, you know, intelligent to read where the ball is going to land. And he picks up a lot of second balls. And yeah, he really controls the game.

“It’s going to give us a new dimension there. So yeah, excited for it.”

Arsenal need to support Martin Zubimendi better than they did against Man United

While it’s possibly just a one-off because of Rice’s poor performance, Arsenal did not give Zubimendi the best platform to excel at Old Trafford.

Both full-backs pushed on too aggressively at times, while Rice marked himself out of the game.

Not only did this leave Zubimendi by himself when United hit Arsenal in transition, it also gave the former Real Sociedad man few clear passing options when he was on the ball.

Moving forward, Rice needs to more readily drop in next to the new signing to form a double pivot, while one of the two full-backs needs to remain more disciplined.

Otherwise, Zubimendi may continue to experience the same issues he endured in the north-west.