Arsenal would be wise to heed Cristiano Ronaldo's advice on Martin Odegaard as they edge closer to signing the Real Madrid playmaker.
Odegaard impressed throughout his short-term loan at the Emirates last season and the Gunners are believed to have made a breakthrough in their drawn-out pursuit of a permanent deal.
Mikel Arteta has been pushing to sign an attacking midfielder throughout the summer window and Odegaard's potential arrival is sure to place plenty of pressure on his young shoulders.
But the 22-year-old has seldom had the chance to settle at any one club throughout his career and Ronaldo previously called for patience regarding the highly-rated Norwegian.
"Great player, I think he's a young boy, he can still grow," Ronaldo said of his then-Los Blancos teammate during the Ballon d'Or press conference in 2014.
"He is 16-years-old, right? So he has a good future ahead. We must give him time to learn, to take his best decisions. But I see a lot of potential in that player, [he's got a] good left foot."
Ronaldo's words continue to ring true today, as Odegaard has hardly been given the "time to learn" at Real Madrid.
He has only managed 11 senior appearances for the Spanish giants since moving to the Santiago Bernabeu as a teenager from Stromsgodset in 2015.
Odegaard has spent most of his time on Real Madrid's books away on loan, with spells at Heerenveen, Vitesse and Real Sociedad as well as Arsenal.
He was not named in the match-day squad for the 4-1 La Liga victory at Alaves last Saturday and it appears he is firmly out of manager Carlo Ancelotti's plans.
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This is undoubtedly good news for Arsenal, whose dire need for fresh faces in attack was laid bare by the dismal 2-0 defeat by Brentford in their Premier League era.
But Arsenal must be wary of viewing Odegaard as a quick fix for their glaring deficiencies going forward despite the glowing praise he has received from club legends.
"You’re thinking that’s the quality and composure Arsenal need," said Ian Wright of Odegaard after he shone in the 3-3 draw with West Ham in March.
"Arteta must be on the sideline thinking, ‘oh my god, this is what I need, this is the guy’."
Wright added: "For me, I think £45million to £50million [to buy Odegaard], even though we’re talking about someone who’s been on loan to Holland, Spain and now here, he’s played a handful of games but he looks so impressive."
As it happens, Arsenal are expected to land Odegaard for £34million, but as Ronaldo warned many years ago, the Gunners must not place too much pressure on a developing player should they complete the signing.
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