Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has highlighted a key difference between himself and summer signing Fabio Vieira following the Europa League win against Bodo/Glimt.
Vieira joined the Gunners from Porto in a £34million deal during the summer transfer window but has only recently been able to show his quality after struggling with a foot injury during pre-season. The Portuguese playmaker has mainly had to settle for cameos as a substitute or appearances in the Europa League as he looks to force his way into Mikel Arteta's team.
Odegaard is enjoying a strong season so far which could be put down to the added competition provided by the 22-year-old, with the Norwegian playmaker having registered four goal contributions in 11 appearances, whilst Vieira has registered three goal contributions in four fewer games. Arteta played both playmakers in the team that beat Bodo/Glimt on Thursday night, when many thought due to their similarities that one would need to be sacrificed in the team in place of the other.
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Speaking after the Europa League win in Norway, the Arsenal captain discussed his relationship on the pitch with Vieira and the differences between the pair. Odegaard said: "It’s brilliant to play with him.
"He’s a great player with great qualities, especially on the ball. I enjoy playing with him and hopefully we can do it more in the future.
"He’s a little bit different to me. I don’t like to compare to much but we’re a little bit different and we can play different positions, both of us, so we’ll see in the future what happens."
The 22-year-old was asked what it was like to play alongside the Norwegian midfielder for the first time and how he felt he adapted to a deeper role. Vieira responded: "I feel good.
"Martin is a good player, everybody knows he has a lot of quality. I’m here to help the team as much as I can, I’m one more player to do everything on the pitch for this club, this team and to help my teammates."
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