Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard names surprising Premier League midfielder as hardest opponent he’s faced… despite sharing a pitch for just seven minutes

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