‘Important’ Arsenal star has given Mikel Arteta a huge decision to make after Manchester United display

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Arsenal were not at their best but managed to dig deep and get their Premier League campaign off to a winning start.

Mikel Arteta gave debuts to Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi, however, Manchester United’s high intensity had the Gunners on the back foot from the off.

Riccardo Calafiori put Arsenal in front against the run of play as Declan Rice’s whipped corner caused havoc in the United defence.

William Saliba was far from his usual self at the back and looked ruffled alongside Gabriel Magalhaes, but the duo helped to grind out three points. Although, Arteta has a huge decision to make moving forward with one player in particular.

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Martin Odegaard match statistics v Manchester United

Martin Odegaard is a player under real scrutiny at the Gunners this season and the captain’s first performance of the season would not have relayed any fears the fans had over his form going into the campaign.

As always, there were no complaints about the work rate and commitment from the Norwegian as he ran himself into the ground trying to press from the front.

Where he let himself down once again, was the quality of his decision making in the final third and in particular on transitions.

There were numerous occasions throughout the match, where Odegaard had the chance to play Bukayo Saka and Viktor Gyokeres through on goal and failed to take the opportunity.

Losing possession 18 times will happen to a player like Odegaard, however, there are growing frustrations that he is holding the team back because of his lack of a killer pass and ball-striking ability.

Mikel Arteta has Ethan Nwaneri waiting for his Arsenal opportunity

There are many fans and pundits who believe Ethan Nwaneri will push Odegaard for the number ten role in the side this season.

Gabriel Agbonlahor thinks Odegaard will be dropped this season despite labelling him as one of the club’s most ‘important’ players.

Nwaneri is an excellent ball carrier and has a range of passing that already exceeds Odegaard’s capabilities.

The Hale End star struggles when the game is tight and intricate passes need to be made, however, he would have thrived with the space on the counter-attack against Manchester United.

Ray Parlour wants Odegaard to remain as Arsenal captain and there is no questioning that his leadership style is perfect for this young side.

However, that should not make him ‘undroppable’ in Arteta’s eyes and the Spaniard needs to consider the right personnel for the right opponent and match context this season.