Former Manchester United defender and pundit Rio Ferdinand has reversed on claims he made surrounding Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard. It comes after the ex-England international questioned whether the decision to name the playmaker as captain could impact his performances.
That hasn't appeared to be the case so far though as the Norwegian has registered six Premier League goals so far this season, playing a key role in their push at the top of the table. Odegaard's importance was made particularly clear in the final match before the World Cup break, where his brace ensured the Gunners won 2-0 against Wolves and moved five points clear of Manchester City in second.
"That’s what you want - for your attacking midfielders to win games not only by assisting but by scoring goals," Mikel Arteta said of the midfielder's goal scoring form. "He’s changed that mentality and he’s practising a lot and he wants to get to his best and we don’t know where his limit is like many of the other kids that we have. That’s what we want – embrace the good moments and support them when they’re not that good."
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It appears as though the added responsibility has only allowed Odegaard to thrive rather than shrink under the pressure for his performances. That's despite Ferdinand questioning earlier in the season whether he would feel the weight of the armband when he was given it.
Discussing his recent performances on Vibe with Five, Ferdinand said: "We spoke with Mikel Arteta about this the other day, about checking the boxes and ticking off certain things that have hindered Arsenal football club over the last probably 10 or 15 years. Being soft in the centre and being easy to play against sometimes, away games being hit and bullied, and players and fans calling them out – I remember Troy Deeney called them out.
"But right now they’re ticking off those boxes. That game was one where they probably get beat 1-0 in years gone by. But I didn’t have any doubts, I was thinking, 'When are they going to score?' and I was as pleased as anyone to see Odegaard be the man to step up and have that moment."
When it was suggested that Ferdinand questioned the 23-year-old, he responded: "We’ve got technical people behind the scenes, can you get that clip up and show what I actually said, I said it “could” be something that weighs heavy on him. Whether or not it happens, I didn’t say it would. I said it could. I hoped it wouldn’t, but it could.
"One thing you can’t question with this kid is that he’s been a child superstar, we’ve known about him since he was probably 13 or 14 years old. He is delivering right now, as captain of Arsenal football club."
With the captain not part of the group heading to the World Cup this winter, he will now have some rest before a mini pre-season type warm up in preparation for the second part of the season. Arsenal fans will certainly be hoping he can hit the same form he's shown so far.
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