Paul Scholes criticized Martin Ødegaard as the person destroying Arsenal's playing system after their 2-3 home loss to Manchester United.
On 30 Jan 2026, Arsenal suffered their first home defeat of the season, losing 2-3 to Manchester United.
Currently, Arsenal's point gap with second-placed Manchester City is just 4 points, making the title race far from easy.
Recently, Paul Scholes, the legendary "Red Devils" midfielder, stated that Martin Ødegaard is the one undermining Arsenal's attacking play, despite being the team captain.
"Maybe he is becoming the problem," Scholes said on the program The Overlap.
"Ødegaard plays as an attacking midfielder. If your team is underperforming, it's his responsibility to raise the team's level, but I don't think he can."
"Speaking from my own experience playing attacking midfield, if a player occupies the midfield role where Roy Keane should be, Keane would tell him to get out of the way and move forward. He is not doing what it takes for the team to win. Think about championship-winning teams like Manchester City—they have players like David Silva and Phil Foden who receive the ball around the penalty area, which is a crucial spot."
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