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Xhaka backs Odegaard as captain

Former Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka has backed successor Martin Odegaard to retain the role.

Xhaka told TV2, via The Athletic: “He is the future of this club. He’s already captain when Alexandre Lacazette does not play. He can be very proud of himself.

“You can see how far he has come in his head, mentally. He is very young, only 23, but in how he behaves and is on the field, he looks like he’s 30. It looks like he has already played 500 or 600 games.

“He can definitely become Arsenal captain. He has the DNA in him. He works as hard every day as if he were in a fight. He does a lot of extra work. He is humble. Everyone in the dressing room listens to him. Why not?

“He is very humble, he is quiet as a person, he is not someone who talks a lot, and he does not talk very loudly. But when he says something, the message comes very clearly to us players. That’s the key. It makes him very special.”