Martin Odegaard lifts lid on 'stinging' Arsenal emotions fuelling his drive as pain of Premier League finale still raw

Hurting Martin Odegaard aims to use the raw pain from his English Premier League heartbreak and turn it into Norway’s Euro 2024 gain.

The playmaker has had one of the seasons of his young career, but it still wasn’t enough as his Arsenal team fell short of Erling Haaland’s Treble-winning Manchester City side. So not only has he had to harbour that disappointment, salt has been rubbed into his wounds as he has also seen his teammate come into the Norwegian camp on cloud nine - after City’s Champions League sealed their dream campaign.

Now Odegaard plans to use that to fire him on when Norway take on Scotland on Saturday at home and then Cyprus next week. The Norwegians have taken just one point from their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign and are well aware this double-header could make or break their hopes of making next year’s finals in Germany. An emotional Odegaard confessed: “I’ve tried not to see so much of that stuff there, because it still stings.

“So I try not to think too much about it. Even though we delivered a very good season for a long time, I am left with a sour feeling.”

Norway’s first qualifying games saw them lose to Norway and then draw in Georgia. Odegaard had a great chance to win it but blew it in Batumi. That has left him with something else to stew on in recent days. The former Real Madrid player stated: “It was no fun. We should have won the Georgia game, and since I missed that chance as well, it wasn't so easy to sleep at the back.

“It hits me pretty hard, I have to admit. It's not so easy to sleep and stuff like that, but that's football - it's about learning and hopefully I can get better at it. I’m not a guy who takes off the most when things are going well. But when things go badly, I may be a