Emmanuel Petit has criticized Arsenal’s captain, Martin Odegaard, describing him as ‘sloppy’ and feels he is ‘not the same player’ this season.

Last season, Odegaard stood out as a standout player for the Gunners, contributing significantly with 15 goals and eight assists in 37 Premier League matches.

However, his performance has experienced a decline in the current campaign, with the Norwegian international tallying three goals and one assist in 10 top-flight games.

“My main worry is players burning out by not getting enough rest because that has cost Arsenal over the last couple of seasons; they’ve lost some really important players to injury,” former Arsenal star Petit told Lord Ping.

“I think the same thing has happened a little bit this season. Odegaard is not the same player as he was last season at the moment.

“He looks a bit sloppy in everything that he is doing, and he looks tired mentally and physically.

“It’s not easy to play every three days and to also play for your country. I’m very worried about Saka [too].

“He plays in nearly every single game – I can’t remember the last time he missed a game for Arsenal – and you can see that he isn’t playing at the same level as he did last season.

“You could argue that Arsenal beat Brentford on Saturday because of their team spirit because physically and mentally, Arsenal are not at their best.

“Some important players look tired, they need to add more quality so they can rotate some of the key players.”