Gary Neville names 2 Arsenal players whose absence would be bigger loss to Gunners than captain Martin Odegaard

Football pundit Gary Neville believes Arsenal will miss Declan Rice and William Saliba more than club captain Martin Odegaard if the duo were to pick up injuries. Odegaard is currently out of action due to an ankle injury he picked up on international duty.

Speaking on The Overlap, Neville claimed that Manchester City would wish one of Saliba and Rice to miss out more than Odegaard. He believes the duo are far more important for the Gunners on the pitch than the club captain. He said:

“If you were City, you’ve just said want Odegaard out, but he wouldn’t be the first player I’d take out of Arsenal’s team. I’d pick Rice or Saliba personally out of the team. I don’t know which one, Rice or Saliba, but I’d take one of them out before I take out Odegaard. I love Odegaard by the way.”

Odegaard has so far missed four matches across competitions, including the recent 2-2 draw to Manchester City in the Premier League. On the other hand, the Gunners registered a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur when Declan Rice was suspended after picking up a red card against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Gary Neville backed Arsenal to win the Premier League title after North London derby win

Gary Neville had backed Mikel Arteta's Arsenal to win the Premier League after their commanding win over Spurs earlier in September. Notably, the Gunners were without both Odegaard and Rice for the all-important game. He had said (via Yahoo):

"They had no Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice - two of their very, very best players - but what they did have going into that game was a very good back four and a very defensive shape and unit. Tottenham never broke that. That was a team and performance of know-how. Wily, not naive, not immature - it was the opposite of that."

"It was experienced, mature and it was what a team who has won multiple titles would play like. Mikel Arteta hasn’t won a title yet at Arsenal but it was a really good performance. We have been so critical of Arsenal over the last 10 to 12 years when they’ve been loose and naive and giving goals away. This is the opposite we’re watching now: they’re a very, very good team we’re watching. A team that everybody can watch and take a lot away from it," he added.

The Gunners are currently fourth in the Premier League table. Manchester City, on the other hand, moved back to the top of the table after the latest draw against the Gunners.