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Former Arsenal star Cesc Fabregas has honored Martin Odegaard by stating that the Gunners midfielder reminds him of himself.
Fabregas spent his formative years with the Arsenal Under 18 team and enjoyed a flourishing tenure with the senior squad as well. The Spaniard scored 57 goals and made 97 assists in 304 senior appearances across all competitions for the north London outfit.
Fabregas spoke very highly of Odegaard's technical abilities. He said, praising the Norwegian (via Metro):
"I really like his style, I like his intelligence, the way he moves and always finds pockets of space where you can make the difference in football these days. He is very tricky and he has a good eye for the final ball.
He added:
"He also has a lot of responsibility, he was 15 when he made his debut for Norway, he is the captain of Norway, now a very young captain for Arsenal and he is responding very well. I am very happy for him, he reminds me a little of me when he took the armband at 21."
Odegaard has played an instrumental role in manager Mikel Arteta's side this season. The Gunners are off to a brilliant start to the 2022-23 campaign and currently sit atop the Premier League table, ahead of Manchester City.
The Norwegian has scored three goals in six Premier League appearances so far this term. Odegaard (23) has proven himself worthy of wearing the captain's armband at such a young age and continues to be in blistering form.
Rio Ferdinand and Peter Crouch heap praise on Arsenal star in agreement with Fabregas' claims
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand and former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch have sung praises of the Arsenal midfielder in a similar vein to Fabregas.
Speaking on Odegaard's improvement and impact on the team this season, Crouch proclaimed (via Football.London):
"With Odegaard, I think he has taken him to the next level, responsibility, he’s become more influential. Last season he was playing well but this season he seems to have gone up another gear, he wants the ball, he’s dictating things, he’s become a real big player for them."
Ferdinand then said:
''I question that on my podcast. Can he [Odegaard] go up another level or will it be too heavy on his shoulders? This season, he’s proved everybody 'this is me, this is what I want'."
