Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes the attention thrust upon Martin Odegaard as a teenager has made the midfielder better prepared for this stage of his career.
Odegaard, who made a permanent move to Arsenal in August after impressing on loan last season, moved to Real Madrid when he was just 16. At the time, he was already a full international, having broken a 104-year record to become Norway's youngest ever player.
Things didn't always go swimmingly for the starlet in Spain, and he was sent on loan a number of times before eventually leaving the Bernabeu in a permanent deal worth a reported £30m. However, as the 23-year-old continues to prove doubters wrong, Arteta has pointed to the positive impact of that early-career pressure.
