compared to and England legend after he helped Arsenal beat Brighton and maintain their Premier League title challenge.
Odegaard has been integral to Arsenal ever since he joined the club from Real Madrid in 2021 but has taken his game to another level since being .
The Norwegian produced another impressive performance at the Amex Stadium on Saturday evening as Arsenal ahead of Liverpool’s clash with Man United on Sunday.
Bukayo Saka gave Arsenal a first-half lead against Brighton with an emphatic penalty following Tariq Lamptey’s foul on Gabriel Jesus, before Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard scored second-half goals to down the Seagulls.
But Murphy singled out Odegaard for praise after the comprehensive win and compared the Arsenal captain to Old Trafford and England great Beckham.
‘Even among some brilliant Arsenal performances, Martin Odegaard stood out for me,’ fellow ex-England star Murphy wrote in a column for .
‘He set the tone for a hugely impressive win and I can’t pay him a higher compliment than saying his captaincy reminds me of the way David Beckham led the England team I was part of.
‘I grew up in an era when captains were expected to be very vocal and giving their team-mates verbal rollockings was considered part of the job, but when I was called into the England squad I saw Beckham do it in a different way.
‘He gained total respect by the way he trained, played and conducted himself. It didn’t matter that he never ranted – we would be happy to follow him anywhere and that included some big names and egos in the rest of the team.
‘Odegaard reminds me of that. I was surprised when I first heard Mikel Arteta gave him the armband but it’s made perfect sense.
‘The Norwegian was incredible at the Amex, a game Arsenal had to win and did so convincingly, leaving them top with more goals and fewer conceded than anyone.
‘Odegaard set the tone with his press. Brighton were good in the opening 15 minutes but he was relentless with and without the ball and ensured every one of his team were on the same page.
‘His movement was non-stop but in addition to that the technical levels were so high with the ball, there was always this link between the Arsenal midfield and attack. Quite simply, Odegaard is at the top of his game at the moment.
‘He is incredibly disciplined and available every week, another reason I think why Arteta anointed him as the official leader.’
Arsenal’s win at Brighton – their 22nd in 31 league games this season – puts them one point ahead of title rivals Liverpool and Manchester City, though Jurgen Klopp’s side have a game in hand.
The Gunners put their Premier League title challenge on hold this week as they prepare to face Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Mikel Arteta’s side return to domestic action next weekend against Aston Villa.
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