Gary Neville claims Arsenal decision left him ‘surprised and shocked’

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Gary Neville has hailed Martin Odegaard whilst claiming that the Arsenal captain could easily play for Manchester City.

Martin Odegaard being appointed as Arsenal captain stunned Gary Neville before the playmaker dazzled him.

Neville has been speaking to Sky Sports as he and Jamie Carragher handed out their season awards.

Both pundits went for Erling Haaland as their Player of the Season but Neville had praise for his Norway teammate Odegaard.

Neville picked Odegaard as the Young Player of the Year; that may sound crazy given that he is already 24, but he would actually qualify for the official award.

Neville admitted that the decision to make Odegaard the new Arsenal captain last summer left him ‘surprised and shocked’.

The former Manchester United ace didn’t see that move coming despite Odegaard having captaincy history with Norway.

Odegaard has dazzled Neville as a player, turning in such ‘outstanding’ performances that Neville believes the Arsenal star could fit perfectly into Manchester City’s team.

“For me, I was surprised and shocked at the start of the season when I found out that Odegaard was captain of Arsenal, I was like, ‘Where’s that come from?’,” said Neville. “I’d agree with Jamie, I think he’s been Arsenal’s best player, even in this last very difficult period I think Odegaard has been outstanding, his quality on the ball, the way in which he plays. I think he’s a player that would fit into Manchester City’s team and would just go in there with real ease.”

“I love Saka, I think Saka plays football like we’d all want to play as a kid. He just looks like he enjoys everything that he does and I love him to bits, but Odegaard has been the outstanding player for Arsenal this year and he’s the best young player,” he added.

Arsenal cannot afford to lose Martin Odegaard

Some Arsenal fans will remember the debates back in the summer of 2021 over whether the Gunners should buy Odegaard or James Maddison.

It’s hard to imagine similar debates taking place now.

Odegaard has been the heartbeat of this Arsenal side, providing creativity, guile, composure and goals from midfield.

Neville may just have a point here; would it be a huge surprise if Manchester City did want to sign Odegaard?

Bernardo Silva could go, Ilkay Gundogan is out of contract this summer and Kevin De Bruyne is 32 this summer.

City need to think about the future of their midfield and Odegaard is exactly the kind of player Pep Guardiola would love.

Arsenal cannot lose Odegaard any time soon; the Gunners must demand well over £100million and continue to build around the Norwegian for years to come.