Arsenal star Martin Odegaard has been out of action due to an injury for a few weeks now.
The Norwegian is one of the Gunners’ most important players. He is integral to Mikel Arteta’s system, and his absence is definitely a big blow.
However, Arsenal are still unbeaten in all competitions despite their skipper’s unavailability, and they deserve a lot of praise for that.
The bad news is that the Gunners may have to do without him for a few more weeks.
Update on Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard’s injury
It was in the international break in September that Odegaard suffered a nasty ankle injury.
The Gunners star started for Norway in their game against Austria, and he hurt himself after a challenge from Christoph Baumgartner, who publicly apologised to Odegaard after the game.
There was no intent to hurt Odegaard – the Austrian midfielder was just going for the ball, but the Arsenal captain twisted his ankle and has been ruled out of action since.
Arteta claimed recently that it would be a surprise if Odegaard returned to action before October’s international break. That suggested that he is expected to be back right after.
However, Norway manager Stale Solbakken’s comments suggest otherwise.
While speaking to the media ahead of Norway’s upcoming games, Solbakken claimed that Odegaard was never in contention to be called up and he is still ‘far’ away from returning to full fitness.
When asked how close Odegaard was to making the squad, the Norway boss said, as per the Metro: “Far. He is far from being in the squad. We will see how far he gets during this national team break.”
While speaking to Dagbladet, Solbakken said: “I have known for quite some time that he was not relevant for this gathering (October’s international break).”
Arsenal’s fixtures after October’s international break
Arsenal need Odegaard back as soon as possible.
Yes, Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz and Ethan Nwaneri have all filled in well in his position, but none of them are really as creative as Odegaard.
Arsenal fans were hoping to see their skipper back right after the international break, but Solbakken’s comments have cast doubt on that.
The Gunners face Bournemouth away right after the break before back-to-back home games against Shakhtar Donetsk and Liverpool.
Arteta’s men then have an EFL Cup clash against Preston to deal with before three massive away games against Newcastle, Inter Milan and Chelsea.
If Arsenal can have Odegaard back in time for the Liverpool game, it would give them a huge boost.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
