William Saliba expresses that everyone at Arsenal is āso happyā to see Martin Odegaard back in action, describing the captain as one of the ātop threeā midfielders in the world.
Odegaard sustained an ankle injury during international duty with Norway in early September, which sidelined the 25-year-old for 12 Arsenal matches.
The Norwegianās absence coincided with a poor run of results for Arsenal, leaving Mikel Artetaās side nine points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool.
However, Odegaard returned to form over the weekend, assisting Bukayo Saka for his second consecutive assist as Arsenal secured a 3-0 victory at home against Nuno Espirito Santoās challenging Nottingham Forest.
Odegaard also impressed in Arsenalās dominant 5-1 Champions League win over Sporting, drawing the foul from Ousmane Diomande that led to Sakaās second-half penalty in Lisbon.
As Arsenal claimed a comfortable three points, Arteta substituted Odegaard with 12 minutes remaining to keep him fresh for Saturdayās trip to West Ham.
āI think we had two or three tough weeks before the international break, but now weāve come back and played two really good games,ā Saliba told Arsenalās official website after the win.
āBut itās not enough. We have to keep going like this, and we have a big game on Saturday.
āItās good for confidence that we won today, but letās keep going like this.
āThe coach always tells us to believe because weāre a very good team. Weāve had tough times, but better times are coming, so we must stick together and keep pushing forward.ā
Saliba praised Odegaard as one of the most complete midfielders in the world.
āI think heās one of the best midfielders in the world, and weāre so happy to have him back. Weāre better with him, so I hope he doesnāt get injured again. Of course, we enjoy playing with him. Since heās returned, weāve been better,ā the Arsenal and France defender said.
āHeās top three [in the world]. I donāt want to put too much pressure on him, but I believe heās top three. I love this guy.
āHe worked hard during his recovery, so Iām not surprised he came back like this. But itās not easy to perform at this level after four weeks out. Iām not shocked, though; heās a top professional.ā
On reaching his 100th appearance for Arsenal, Saliba commented: āIām very proud.
āI hope to play more games for this amazing club.
āI need to keep pushing forward, but of course, reaching 100 games here is incredible.ā