Press conference

'Odegaard is humble, but leads by example'

It has been quite a time for Martin Odegaard of late.

Not only has he scored twice for us, in Athens against Olympiacos and then in the north London derby against Tottenham but he's also been named Norway captain.

Having worked with him for two months, Mikel Arteta believes it was a natural step for the attacking midfielder.

"I'm not surprised after sharing some time with him now," our manager said. "I'm not surprised at all. He's got this personality, he's a really humble and easygoing guy but at the same time, he's very, very professional and very dedicated. He leads by example, which normally a captain should do.

"He is getting better and better. I think his understanding of what we want is excellent. His work rate has been phenomenal and then he's doing something that, in my opinion, could improve a lot which is getting in the opponents' box and maybe being more decisive in the scoreline.

"He is doing that with the two goals and he's had some really important entries into the zones and he looks all the time really dangerous. If he adds that to his game, he becomes a real complete player.

"I think everybody has been really impressed with how quickly he has adapted. Professionally, how he is and how willing he has been since day one to try to engage with everybody at Colney and then also with the performances that he's putting in as well.

"He is more than prepared to take that role [of Norway captain]. I've been very positive and impressed with his human qualities as well."