Arsenal captainMartin Odegaard appears to have dispersed previous suggestions from Gary Neville regarding leadership within the squad. It comes as the skipper himself has been absent over the course of some recent games due to injury, with others having to take his place.
The Norway international was handed the armband at the start of last season as the Gunners looked to move on with past troubles surrounding the role and questions over who could be trusted with it. Odegaard had already been his national team captain from a young age and set a standard since joining from Real Madrid.
With the inclusion of himself and others such as Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus last summer, there was an unlikely title push on the cards. But for Neville, it was seen very differently as he said in August 2022 on the Overlap: «The experience is still not there either off the pitch or on the pitch. I’ve watched Oleksandr Zinchenko, but he’s not a leader. I love him to bits… but he’s not a leader.»
The following months saw those title hopes and dreams turn close to a reality, but a late run denied them such an opportunity. Neville once again brought the leadership into question as he said on the Overlap: «I look at Martin Odegaard, fantastic professional. Oleksandr Zinchenko, great professional. But when you actually get to the highest pressurised moments in the biggest matches in the crux of the season, are they leaders then?
“Arsenal’s senior players, Partey, Zinchenko, Odegaard, in the most difficult period – when those younger players like Saka and Martinelli needed that guidance, Jesus needed telling to stop running around and just stand up front and be really disciplined in how you play – they didn’t impact the rest of their
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