As Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane held a press conference today, the situation of Martin Odegaard was a topic in his chat with the Spanish media.
Quizzed about the reasons behind the midfielder’s move to Arsenal on a loan spell, the coach claims it was entirely the player’s decision, as the Galacticos actually wanted to keep him in the squad.
“He wanted to go out, he wanted to play. We talked about it, he is a player who wants to try to play and have a chance elsewhere,” said Zidane (via Sport).
“I knew about Martin, I told him about staying and fighting and having peace of mind because we needed him because it was my request. It wasn’t like that. It is everyone’s decision, the important thing is that he’s happy.”
Odegaard completed his move to Arsenal in the last week of the January transfer window. He made his debut by playing the last seven minutes of the match against Manchester United last weekend, and then stayed on the bench in the 2-1 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday.
Earlier today, Madrid dedicated website Defensa Central brought a piece with some worry regarding the midfielder’s lack of playing time in this first week with the Gunners.
However, that’s certainly too soon to make any criticism towards Mikel Arteta for not using a player who’s just arrived from another country and wasn’t even having enough playing time there.
