Arsenal legend Ray Parlour believes has what it takes to become as good as legend Kevin De Bruyne.
Odegaard has been one of the Premier League’s best players this season, scoring seven and assisting five goals in just 16 games so far.
The 24-year-old is hoping to emulate the likes of Patrick Vieira and by captaining the Gunners to their first league title in 19 years.
But Arsenal face stiff competition from City who remain just five points behind in the table after 17 matches.
It’s the first time in many years that Arsenal have been involved in a title race and Mikel Arteta will need Odegaard’s leadership more than ever before if they want to succeed, but he certainly has the backing of Parlour who compared him favourably to City’s own star attacking midfielder De Bruyne.
‘I really like Odegaard. He’s got a lot in his locker,’ the former Gunners midfield told .
‘It would’ve been perfect for me to win the ball back, playing it to Odegaard and then let him look at options going forward. I like his energy, he’s always trying his best and he’s a great lad.
‘Things didn’t quite work out for him at Real Madrid but he feels at home now with Arsenal, he’s enjoying it every week but De Bruyne is on a different level.
‘Can Odegaard be as good as De Bruyne? His technical ability is very, very good and he’s been excellent
‘He’s got a lot of work to do to be as good as De Bruyne, but he’s certainly going the right way about it. He’s still a young lad, he has a great attitude and I’ve met him loads of times – he’s a great lad.
‘The first thing he said to me was, “What was it like playing in the Invincibles team?”, so he wants to know about other people’s careers and I’m so pleased for him now.’
Odegaard’s sudden rise has been incredible to say the least, having gone from emergency loan signing to Arsenal captain in just 18 months.
Statistically speaking he still has a long way to go before he emulates De Bruyne who is now considered to be one of the best midfielders in Premier League history alongside the likes of Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard.
The 31-year-old has 89 goals and 136 assists for the Citizens in 330 games, inspiring them to four league titles.
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