Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard has named Manchester United dynamo Paul Pogba as his toughest opponent in an interview with Norwegian journalist Arilas Ould-Saada, despite only having been on the pitch with him for seven minutes.
The 23-year-old creator has been in sublime form for the young Gunners side this season, providing six goals and four assists as his side battle to finish in the top 4 and qualify for the all-important Champions League football that comes with it.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 20: Martin Odegaard of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on April 20, 2022 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
But, asked about who his hardest opponent has been, he had a surprise answer.
‘It’s hard to pick one, but I remember when I met Paul Pogba, I was impressed by his physique and power, how difficult it was to get close to him, how strong he was’, the Arsenal midfielder claimed. ‘As a midfielder he was hard to face.’
This comes as the Arsenal man and Pogba have only shared a pitch for a matter of minutes. Seven to be precise. Odegaard came on as a substitute in Arsenal’s 0-0 draw against the Red Devils in January 2021, in his debut for the Gunners.
Pogba to miss return clash
Odegaard will, fortunately, not be tasked with playing against the Frenchman when the two sides meet on Saturday lunchtime in a Premier League top 4 clash at the Emirates, with Pogba having picked up an injury in the opening stages of his side’s 4-0 hammering at the hands of Liverpool that will sideline him for the game.
And, they may never face off again, with Pogba seeming likely to leave the Premier League when his contract at Manchester United expires this summer, leaving only European games as a possible battleground for the pair.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – APRIL 16: Paul Pogba of Manchester United is challenged by Kenny McLean of Norwich City during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Norwich City at Old Trafford on April 16, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
Given that Pogba will be looking to move to a Champions League club, and Arsenal may miss out on Champions League football come the end of the season, those seven minutes may indeed be the only time that the pair face off.
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City | 32 | 55 | 77 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 32 | 61 | 76 |
| 3 | Chelsea FC | 31 | 39 | 62 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 32 | 18 | 57 |
| 5 | Arsenal FC | 32 | 10 | 57 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 33 | 4 | 54 |
| 7 | West Ham United | 33 | 9 | 52 |
| 8 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 32 | 5 | 49 |
| 9 | Leicester City | 31 | -4 | 41 |
| 10 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 33 | -11 | 40 |
| 11 | Newcastle United | 33 | -18 | 40 |
| 12 | Brentford FC | 33 | -8 | 39 |
| 13 | Southampton FC | 32 | -14 | 39 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 32 | 2 | 37 |
| 15 | Aston Villa | 31 | -4 | 36 |
| 16 | Leeds United | 32 | -30 | 33 |
| 17 | Everton FC | 31 | -19 | 29 |
| 18 | Burnley FC | 31 | -19 | 25 |
| 19 | Watford FC | 32 | -32 | 22 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 32 | -44 | 21 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 22 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 17 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 15 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 15 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 14 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 12 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 12 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 11 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 11 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace | 11 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 10 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 10 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 10 |
| Pukki, Teemu | Norwich City | 10 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City | 10 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 10 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 10 |
| Smith-Rowe, Emile | Arsenal FC | 10 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 9 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 9 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 10 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 9 |
| Neves, Ruben | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 9 |
| Bednarek, Jan | Southampton FC | 0 | 9 |
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 9 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 9 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 9 |
| Mctominay, Scott | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Firpo, Junior | Leeds United | 0 | 9 |
| Salisu, Mohammed | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 8 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 7 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 1 | 7 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 8 |
| Cash, Matty | Aston Villa | 0 | 8 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa | 0 | 8 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 0 | 8 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United | 0 | 8 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 7 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 12 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 12 |
| Robertson, Andy | Liverpool FC | 10 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 9 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 9 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 9 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 8 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City | 7 |
| Mbeumo, Bryan | Brentford FC | 7 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 7 |
| Cancelo, Joao | Manchester City | 7 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 6 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 6 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 6 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 6 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 6 |
| Kulusevski, Dejan | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 5 |
