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Martin Odegaard says Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid appointment is 'positive' as he prepares to return after Arsenal loan... despite the Italian describing his high-profile arrival at the Bernabeu in 2015 as a 'PR exercise'

Martin Odegaard believes Carlo Ancelotti's return to Real Madrid is a good thing for the club despite the Italian's comments six years ago describing his arrival as a 'PR exercise'.

The 22-year-old joined Madrid from Stromsgodset in his native Norway in January 2015, four months before Ancelotti's two-year spell at the club would come to an end.

Odegaard has been out on loan four times since leaving Norway for Spain, most recently at Arsenal for the second half of the 2020-21 season.

Martin Odegaard (front) believes the return of Carlo Ancelotti (back) to Real Madrid is 'positive'
That is despite Ancelotti describing Odegaard's arrival at the club aged 16 as a 'PR exercise'

The Gunners confirmed on Thursday that Odegaard's contract will officially end at the end of the month and that he will now - initially at least - return to Los Blancos, where Ancelotti has just taken over from Zinedine Zidane for a second spell at the club.