Martin Odegaard's Arsenal warm

FORMER Watford striker Troy Deeney was left in awe after watching one of Martin Odegaard's warm-ups last season.

The 24-year-old midfielder was named Arsenal captain last summer following the departures of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette.

He has since been heavily praised for his high level of professionalism both on and off the pitch, with ex-Prem star Deeney pinpointing one specific example.

Speaking to Jermain Defoe on The Players Channel podcast, the now-Forest Green Rovers star said: "I watch warm-ups now when I go to games. I make sure I’m there early and I watch how lads warm up.

"I was at the Arsenal game and [Martin] Odegaard yeah, you know when everyone goes off and does their shooting, the strikers go off to do their shooting.

"He was getting one staff member to wrap the ball into him and another one to close him down, just in and around the 18-yard box.

"Taking it up the line, rolling it down the other side, he wouldn’t finish, he didn’t go on and finish, it was just the movements.

"And I was saying to my kids: ‘Are you watching what he’s doing?’, because they’re watching the Wolves lads shooting and I was like: ‘Nah, watch what he’s doing,’ that’s replicating it.

"And then when it came into the game, he did it two or three times, I was like: ‘See, that’s what he’s talking about’."

Odegaard was named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year on Tuesday following his impressive 2022-23 campaign.

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Arsenal stars Aaron Ramsdale, William Saliba and Bukayo Saka were also voted into the squad.

Saka picked up the award for PFA Young Player of the Year, while Manchester City's Erling Haaland was crowned PFA Players' Player of the Year.

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