Zidane confirm he asked Odegaard not to leave Real Madrid on loan
Odegaard has joined Arsenal on loan until the end of the season after not getting enough playing time at Madrid.
Zidane notes that he was the one to ask the club to bring Martin from his Real Sociedad loan one season earlier.
"Martin Odegaard wanted to go, he wanted to play. We had talked two or three times. He wanted to have a chance somewhere else, it was a demand from the player," Zinedine Zidane said in the press conference ahead of the Huesca clash.
"I told him that he had to stay, that we have to fight. Besides, it was a request from me for him to come [from Real Sociedad one year earlier]."
During the first half of the season, Odegaard played only 367 minutes at Real Madrid.
However, we should also note that the Norwegian missed several weeks through injury. He is currently on loan at Arsenal and has played seven minutes since joining them.