Mikel Arteta tells Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard he can still improve in four key areas

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has been in outstanding form this season (Picture: Getty)

Mikel Arteta has praised the impact Martin Odegaard has made so far this season but claims the Arsenal captain is far from the finished article.

The Norway international skipper moved to north London nearly two years ago, initially on loan from Real Madrid , having failed to live up to the reputation he earned when he made a first team breakthrough as 15-year-old at Stromsgodset.

Eyebrows were raised when, after flattering to deceive during his first six months at the Emirates Stadium, Mikel Arteta opted to sanction a £35million deal to sign Odegaard on a permanent basis.

That decision has been fully vindicated over the course of the last year in particular with the 24-year-old emerging as one of the driving forces behind Arsenal’s unlikely title challenge.

Odegaard has added end product to his game and produced two more assists during the Boxing Day win over West Ham which helped Arteta’s side maintain their five point lead over Manchester City.

The role of captaining an emerging team, meanwhile, has only served to galvanise Odegaard but Arteta believes there is more to come from a playmaker who combines elegance with ingenuity in a manner that has led to comparisons with Kevin De Bruyne.

Odegaard is Arsenal’s top scorer in the Premier League this season with six goals and four assists in 14 games – but Arteta believes he can still improve. ‘He can be much better,’ his manager said.

‘Physically he can improve in many areas. The way he can drive with the ball and eliminate people, his crossing, his passing range, can still be better.

Eyebrows were raised when Martin Odegaard was confirmed as Arsenal’s captain by Mikel Arteta (Picture: Getty)

‘Defensively he is improving every single time, and [so is] that mentality to go on the pitch and win the game and have that mentality every three days.’

‘I was hoping – I don’t know if I was expecting – that he could show the talent that he has,’ said Arteta, who takes his side to Brighton tonight, when asked if he was confident Odegaard would fulfil his potential under his tutelage.

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‘Martin is in a really good moment. He is defining games, he is having a different kind of presence on the pitch.

‘He has had the continuity and the minutes and the role in the team that he needed to shine.

‘We try that with every player, to create the right environment and football philosophy and the right people around him to be successful.’

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