Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville has shared his verdict on an Arsenal player, who he believes is even more imperative to the Gunners than injured captain Martin Odegaard.
Odegaard shares update on "bad" ankle injury at Arsenal
Earlier this month, supporters and critics alike were put into panic mode when Odegaard was hauled off with an ankle problem during Norway’s 2-1 win over Austria in the UEFA Nations League.
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It later emerged that Odegaard would miss weeks of action for Arsenal, coming as a blow for the Premier League title chasers who are without a key player and chief creator for the foreseeable future.
The 25-year-old – who bagged eight goals and 10 assists last season as the Gunners dragged Man City to the final day and finished with 89 points on the board – was forced to sit out of their crucial clashes against Tottenham, Atalanta and Man City recently.
Leicester City (home)
September 28
Southampton (home)
October 5
Bournemouth (away)
October 19
Liverpool (home)
October 27
Newcastle United (away)
November 2
Luckily for Arteta and co, they did very well to come through the trio of tough away games unscathed – which is testament to their tactical plans and performances of other key players.
Odegaard could be back available for Liverpool on October 27, according to some reports, but Arsenal are reportedly being cautious – so the former Real Madrid ace’s recovery may well stretch beyond that timeline.
“It was a bad twist to my ankle, and I damaged some ligaments there,” said Odegaard on his rehabilitation, before Arsenal beat Bolton in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
“But it’s part of football and now I’m just trying to recover as quickly as I can. I’m moving forward, making progress and I’m feeling more positive every day. I’m working hard and my only thought is to get back as soon as possible.
“I’m at the Sobha Realty Training Centre basically every day now, working hard and doing everything I can do to get better. I have to be careful not to push it too much, but at the same time do what I can to make sure I come back as strongly and quickly as possible. I’m trying to support the team in a different way now, if I can’t be on the pitch. That’s my situation, and I have to make the best out of it.”
Losing Odegaard has been a blow, without doubt, but Neville has claimed things could be even worse if they lost a different player – club-record signing Declan Rice.
Gary Neville says Declan Rice is more crucial to Arsenal than Odegaard
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Neville says Rice is that bit more important to Arsenal than Odegaard – with Arteta doing very well minus the England international during their trip to Tottenham.
Rice has been called “very underrated” for his contribution by fellow pundit Don Hutchison, with Neville also praising the ex-West Ham star.
“If you were City… he (Odegaard) wouldn’t be the first player I would take out of Arsenal’s team,” said Neville.
“I would pick Rice or Saliba. I don’t know which one, but I would take Rice or Saliba out of the team before I picked Odegaard.”
The former Cobham academy ace played in all 38 of Arsenal’s league games last term – scoring seven goals and racking up eight assists as a defensive midfielder – and finished 2023/2024 as their second-best performer behind Bukayo Saka, according to WhoScored. Taking this into account, it’s safe to say Neville could be very right.