'Has to wait' - Arteta urged to bench Arsenal star against Brentford despite fitness hint

Arsenal face Brentford at the Emirates on Thursday (Picture: Getty)

Mikel Arteta has been urged not to rush Martin Odegaard back into the starting lineup for Arsenal ’s trip to Brentford despite his looming return to full fitness.

The Arsenal skipper has been out of action since his bright cameo appearance off the bench against Leeds United at the end of January.

Odegaard has missed Arsenal’s last two matches, despite the issue only being described as a ‘niggle’ by Arteta, but could now return on Thursday against Brentford in the Premier League .

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, Arteta refuted suggestions that Odegaard could miss the game, telling reporters: ‘I didn’t say that.’

A potential return for Odegaard would only strengthen Arteta’s options in central midfield, but former Gunners star Nigel Winterburn sees no reason to rush the 27-year-old straight back into the team.

Odegaard’s attacking output has dropped off this season, with just one goal and four assists in his 18 league appearances, and Winterburn thinks Kai Havertz has earned the right to keep his spot in midfield after his performances since returning from a long-term injury of his own.

‘We’ve seen Havertz come back and he’s done very well,’ he told Metro via Zamsino NZ .

Martin Odegaard is closing in on a return to full fitness (Picture: Getty)

Kai Havertz has started in midfield in recent weeks (Picture: Getty)

‘How much game time does a manager want to give him in a short period of time after nearly a year out is a question.

‘Odegaard could come back in there, Eze could come back in there. So, it’s such a difficult question to answer as to who should start.

‘Odegaard is the captain, but I still don’t think that’s going to give him the right to come straight back into the team when he’s fit, and I think he should have to wait his turn.’

Eberechi Eze has not started a league game since mid-December (Picture: Getty)

A return for Odegaard, however, could see Eberechi Eze drop further down the pecking order when it comes to Arsenal’s options in midfield.

Eze’s last league start came in a narrow win against Wolves in mid-December, with the Englishman’s substitute appearances amounting to just 92 minutes of league action since the turn of the year.

Asked about Eze’s concerning lack of minutes, Winterburn challenged the 27-year-old to demand more of the ball and be less ‘laid-back’ when given the opportunity to impress off the bench.

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‘From now to the end of the season, I would think Eze is going to get plenty of game time,’ he said. ‘He’s a player I really like.

‘He’s now at a huge club in terms of expectation, and he, Havertz, and Odegaard are battling to be in the same position.

‘The one thing I would say is Odegaard’s all energy. Eze looks a little bit more laid back with the way, the style he plays.

‘But when he gets that opportunity, when he comes on or if he starts, I would just like to see him a bit more demanding of the ball in the creative areas and really showing us what we know he can do.

‘He’s got lovely close control, can pick out a pass, can score goals. Although we don’t like to say it, sometimes, when you sign players, you give them up to a year to completely settle in.

‘We want everyone to hit the ground running and show us exactly what they’ve got. But Mikel Arteta’s style is a high-intensity press.

‘It’s a huge amount of workload on the players, and Eze’s just got to adapt to that situation.’