Arsenal star Martin Odegaard has been the subject of discussion from Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal - who believes the midfielder made a mistake joining the Gunners.
Odegaard cost Arsenal £35m in the summer, moving from Real Madrid after a loan move which sufficiently impressed Mikel Arteta last season. The Norwegian was at Real from the age of 15 before that and had several loans to develop.
Van Gaal was speaking after his Netherlands side beat Norway to qualify automatically for the World Cup. The former Manchester United manager revealed that he's a big fan of the playmaker but that he didn't want to see him come to the Premier League just yet.
“Odegaard is very creative and has very good passing. He can play the ball where he wants,” van Gaal said of the 22-year-old.
“When the player demands the ball in a good position he can give the ball. And he’s a team player.
“He stays a team player, that is very good.”
Van Gaal has an exceptional record of developing talent throughout his managerial career. The Dutchman brought through a golden generation of players at Ajax in the 1990s, winning a fourth Champions League with the Amsterdam side before going onto manage the likes of AZ Alkmaar and Barcelona later in his career.
More recently, van Gaal was the manager who gave Marcus Rashford his Manchester United debut. When asked where Odegaard should have gone to, however, the 70-year-old pointed to the club where it all began for him.
“It is a simple answer. Ajax would be the best education,” van Gaal said. “AZ is also a very nice place for young Norwegian players to go to.”
