Ray Parlour has claimed that Martin Odegaard was a ‘real example’ when he watched Arsenal training, as he told talkSPORT.
Odegaard is a possible contender to be Arsenal’s next captain, as Parlour was part of the club’s pre-season tour of the USA and he liked what he saw first-hand in training.
The modern game is littered with stats and perhaps too much of them, especially when it comes to purely judging players on them.
But Odegaard is a prime example of why that shouldn’t be because he is a genius with the ball, his ability to work in tight spaces is exceptional, a brilliant passer, a quick-thinker and someone who has an outstanding first touch.
That’s why Parlour was so impressed by Odegaard and what the players are currently doing under Mikel Arteta’s stewardship.
“Odegaard, you see him in training,” said Parlour. “He is always on the ball. He’s a real example that they love their football. They can’t wait to get him out of the training field.
“That’s what you want as a manager. You want players that are really hungry to train hard and I have seen that when I was watching a couple of training sessions. You can see that they are really at it.
“That’s why they beat Chelsea 4-0 because they had a little bit more energy. And that’s down to training.”
ARSENAL’S NEXT CAPTAIN?
The new Premier League season is edging ever closer and Arsenal will once again kick-off proceedings when they travel to Crystal Palace next Friday.
Arteta is yet to name his new captain, but Odegaard could be a real contender for that role after it was previously held by Alexandre Lacazette.
The recently-departed striker only had it on a temporary basis after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was stripped of that role last December – the last two permanent captains have been removed of the armband.
It’s not an easy job to have, as someone like Granit Xhaka, more than anyone, would vouch, but he has since turned things around with the fans.
Nonetheless, if Odegaard is made Arsenal captain, then it is deserved and he does have prior experience because he has led his country out also.
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