Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard remains “far” from making his return from an ankle injury that has sidelined him since early September. The midfielder picked up the injury while on international duty with Norway, limping off during a match against Austria. Subsequent tests revealed ligament damage, casting doubt on his immediate availability for both club and country.
Arsenal were initially cautious in confirming the extent of the injury, with hopes tentatively set on a mid-October return. However, those expectations have been dashed as Norway boss Stale Solbakken revealed that Odegaard would not be part of the squad for the upcoming Nations League games against Slovenia and Austria.
“He is far from being in the squad,” Solbakken told reporters. “We will have to see how far he gets during this international break. It is possible that he will come, but it depends a little on his rehabilitation. I have not spoken to him in the past four or five days.”
Odegaard’s absence is a significant blow to both Arsenal and the Norwegian national team. Solbakken acknowledged the importance of the midfielder, stating, “That both Oscar [Bobb] and Martin are out at the same time – it would be naive to say that it doesn’t have a meaning. After all, we played the last 35 minutes against Austria without Martin. And [we] won that part of the match 1-0, so it’s not like we don’t think we can do it without him. But Martin is very important to the group, and he has been among the best in every match in recent years.”
Arsenal now face a nervous wait to see how Odegaard’s rehabilitation progresses over the international break, with the club hoping for his return to full fitness sooner rather than later.