Former Arsenal defender Sol Campbell has warned Martin Odegaard that he has a "long road" ahead of him to make a name for himself at the Emirates Stadium.
Having struggled to make an impact in Zinedine Zidane's team, the Real Madrid man penned a six-month loan deal with the Gunners earlier in the transfer window.
Odegaard now seems destined to compete with Emile Smith Rowe for starts in the number 10 role under Mikel Arteta, and Campbell has admitted that the playmaker will have to fight for his right to play regularly at Arsenal.
Speaking to Stadium Astro, Campbell said: "It's always nice to have young players coming in. It's obviously not completely worked for him at Real Madrid. Going forward, if he gets more minutes on the pitch, then he will show his quality.
"You can see he's got quality, the way he moves and his touch on the ball, he has just got to get into it, get fit and force his way in.
"It's a long road for him but hopefully the next time he comes on he can make an impact and start pushing Arsenal up the league. We need players who are going to change something on the pitch. At the same time he is going to learn.
"If you are a good player, training every day, there are a lot games. Anything can change in a second. There are plenty of games for him to impress. It's all up to him."
Odegaard made his Arsenal debut off the bench in Saturday's 0-0 draw with Manchester United, and he will be eyeing his first start for the Gunners when they take on Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday night.
Ben Knapton
