Huesca against Real Madrid The Norwegian came to Arsenal on a rental basis
Zinedine Zidane revealed that he asked Martin Odegaard stay at Real Madrid in January and compete for a spot in the starting line-up.
However, Odegaard decided to leave and join Arsenal on loan looking for guaranteed playing time as he had barely gotten minutes on the field this season.
“[Odegaard] wanted to leave, ” Zidane said in Real Madrid‘s press conference ahead of their game against Huesca.
“We’ve talked about it two or three times. He’s a player who wants to play.
“It was the player’s question [to leave]. I told him to stay, fight and have peace of mind because this is a long process.
“He is a player I have asked to bring in [after spending last season on loan at Real Sociedad].
“It hasn’t been the case and in the end it’s everyone’s decision. I hope he’s happy.”