BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand has backtracked on remarks he made about Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard at the start of the season.

The Norwegian international was handed the captaincy in the summer, with Ferdinand questioning whether he could handle the weight of the armband, but Ferdinand now freely admits he could have been mistaken:

“What I actually said, I said it could be something that weighs heavy on him. Whether or not it happens, I didn’t say it would. I said it could. I hoped it wouldn’t, but it could. One thing you can’t question with this kid is that he’s been a child superstar, we’ve known about him since he was probably 13 or 14 years old. He is delivering right now, as captain of Arsenal football club.”

Odegaard certainly put in a captain’s performance against Wolves at the weekend. Whilst the rest of the Gunners’ attack was below par, the 23-year-old stepped up to the plate by scoring both goals in the 2-0 victory.

There are still some question marks about his performances in big games, but he is certainly leading by example at the moment. He should also be fresh and raring to go after the midseason break, as Norway are not at the World Cup, so it will be hoped that he can kick on and perform to an even higher level in the second half of the campaign.