MANCHESTER UNITED legend Rio Ferdinand has praised Arsenal and their captain Martin Odegaard, comparing him to Mesut Ozil.
The Gunners sit top of the Premier League table with a seven-point lead over second place Manchester City.
One of the standout performers for Mikel Arteta's side this season has been Odegaard.
Ferdinand believes that with the 24-year-old Norwegian pulling the strings, they are now serious title challengers.
He told the Vibe with Five YouTube channel: "Arsenal look like the real deal.
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"These guys are serious, they are a serious outfit now.
"When you look through the team, they just look solid, but Odegaard needs a special mention. This guy.
"I said when he got given the armband it will go one of two ways. Either it will weigh too heavy on his shoulders or he’ll run with it. And he is running with it right now.
"This guy is playing like Mozart at the moment. He’s rolling the ball through people’s legs. He looks like a reincarnation of Mesut Ozil at his best.
"I’ve been looking at him thinking, 'wow, this kid'. You can tell he seems comfortable in his skin and he’s growing into the Arsenal captain’s role really well.
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"Arsenal look like they can win any game right now. For me, they’re the real deal."
Odegaard has played in 15 league games this season and he has netted seven goals on top of registering five assists.
He has been at the heart of most Arsenal attacking moves, dictating the game with his passing, creativity and technical skill, which has resulted in Ferdinand's comparison with Ozil.
The German played in North London for seven seasons, scoring 44 goals and assisting a further 78 in 254 games.
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Ozil, 34, who now plays for Istanbul Basaksehir, once registered 19 assists in a Premier League campaign, leading the team to a second place finish.
This is one short of the record held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.
Odegaard will be hoping to go one further than Ozil and lift the Prem trophy in May.