Arsenal have confirmed that Martin Odegaard has been withdrawn from international duty due to injury.
The majority of the Arsenal squad are on duty over the October international break, but Odegaard is not one of them.
Arsenal issued a statement on the captain’s fitness shortly after the Gunners’ win over West Ham at the Emirates.
Odegaard made Premier League history after being substituted before half-time in three consecutive league starts, with his afternoon against West Ham ending early.
Expert shares verdict on Martin Odegaard injury timeframe
Arsenal confirmed that Odegaard suffered a medial collateral ligament injury against West Ham.
The diagnosis is worse than first thought, as in Norway, there was optimism that Odegaard would be fit for the October international break.
That is, unfortunately, not the case, with the skipper set to stay in North London to undergo treatment, missing out on Norway’s World Cup Qualifying clash with Israel.
It’s a blow for Norway, but what does a medial collateral ligament injury actually mean for Odegaard and Arsenal?
On X, football injury expert ‘Physio Scout’ dissected the possible recovery timeframes for Odegaard based upon the grade of the injury.
- Grade one: 1-3 weeks recovery
- Grade two: 3-6 weeks recovery
- Grade three: 6-10+ weeks recovery
To the relief of Arsenal fans, Physio Scout shared their opinion that a grade three injury ‘appears unlikely’, with a grade one or two considered to be ‘more plausible’ in Odegaard’s case.
The injury expert stressed that ‘further assessment’ is required to learn an exact recovery timeline.
Norway manager thankful for Arsenal’s statement on Odegaard
The news is far from ideal, as Arsenal have seen the best of Odegaard in recent weeks, with the captain showing form closer to his past quality.
There is, however, a positive in that the international break is here, making it more of a hindrance to Norway than Arsenal at present.
Speaking to the media ahead of Norway’s meetings with Israel and New Zealand, manager Stale Solbakken shared his gratitude to Arsenal for announcing the injury early.
“We are, of course, sorry for this on our own behalf and on Martin’s behalf,” Solbakken said, as transcribed by TV2.
“Fortunately, the fact that the clarification regarding this comes so early gives us plenty of time to prepare those who will play the match on Saturday.”
Odegaard will be frustrated to have picked up another tedious injury so early into the campaign, having already missed playing time due to shoulder issues.
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