Arsenal take on Leeds United in the Premier League this weekend and according to Kevin Campbell, Martin Odegaard is likely to get his first start for the Gunners.
Martin Odegaard joined the North London side last month on a short-term loan deal but he is yet to make his full debut for the club and so far, both his appearances in the league have come off the bench.
Against Aston Villa, the 22-year-old featured for only 25 minutes but according to Campbell, Arteta could finally hand him a start this weekend.
“You would like to think that Odegaard will get a start,” he told Football Insider.
“Emile Smith-Rowe has played a lot of football of late and Odegaard looked exciting against Aston Villa.
“Will Arteta tinker with the system a little bit to get them both in there? Or, will he give Odegaard some more minutes. The young lad deserves it.
“I think he will start or at the very least get a half against Leeds on Sunday.”
Will Martin Odegaard start for Arsenal vs Leeds United?
Martin Odegaard has come to Arsenal with the hopes of playing regular football and as Campbell said, there’s a big chance the attacking midfielder could be featuring in the starting XI for Arsenal vs Leeds United on Sunday.
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The manager has to rotate his squad now that Arsenal will be back in the Europa League and given they face Benfica next week, Arteta could keep someone like Emile Smith Rowe fully fresh for that game.
Ultimately, it will come down to which tournament does the Arsenal boss give more importance to, winning the Europa League or finishing in the top-four.
If Arteta believes his side can still finish in the top-four in the English top division then he is likely to use Smith Rowe in place of Martin Odegaard on Sunday. But if the Spanish boss is giving due importance to the Benfica game then Smith Rowe will remain on the bench against Bielsa’s side.
