Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has been struggling with injuries for large parts of this season.
The Norwegian suffered two shoulder issues in back-to-back weeks at the start of the campaign, and then hurt his knee. The latter kept him out for over a month.
That knee has continued to trouble Odegaard, and he hasn’t played a game for the Gunners since the North London Derby due to the same problem.
Now, ahead of the Carabao Cup final, Mikel Arteta has suggested that it all depends on the final training session on Saturday.
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Mikel Arteta shares Martin Odegaard injury update ahead of Arsenal vs Manchester City
Martin Odegaard is one of Arsenal’s most important players.
The former Real Madrid man is undoubtedly the most creative player at the club, and his qualities will be essential against Manchester City, especially if Pep Guardiola parks the bus again as he did at the Emirates.
Arteta revealed earlier in the week that Odegaard and the medical staff are pushing to make sure he is available for the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.
Now, in his pre-match press conference, the Arsenal boss was quizzed about his and Jurrien Timber’s availability again, and he did not rule them out of the game.
He said, as per Football London: “No, not for us (no new injuries). We have another training session tomorrow. Hopefully, they (Odegaard and Timber) can be available.
“Yeah, we have another session, let’s see.”
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Martin Odegaard should not start in the Carabao Cup final even if he is fit
We stand by our previous claim that Odegaard is one of Arsenal’s most important players, but he still should not start against Manchester City.
That may sound harsh, but the reality is that his place has been filled by someone who is in much better form – Eberechi Eze.
The Englishman has improved massively in that number 10 role, and his performances in recent weeks have been nothing short of exceptional.
After Eze’s screamer against Bayer Leverkusen, which left Bukayo Saka speechless, the former Eagles star must keep his place in the side.
If Odegaard is declared fit, he should start the game on the bench and be ready to impact if he is called upon at some point.
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