Date: 22nd September 2022 at 6:00am
Written by:

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, who missed the last game against Brentford, is still not back to fitness yet according to the latest update.

THE LOWDOWN: INJURED

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard missed Arsenal’s trip to Brentford at the weekend due to a calf injury. He was replaced in the starting lineup by Fabio Vieira, who went on to score a lovely goal in the contest. The Gunners did not really miss the mercurial midfielder in the game, as they cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win at the Community Stadium.

Mikel Arteta, in his pre-match conference ahead of the game, confirmed the injuries to Odegaard and Oleksandr Zinchenko, although he did not give an estimate of when they are expected to return.

“They are both injured and not available for the game,” he said.

“I don’t know [how long they will be sidelined]. We have the international break right now so it’s going to give us a break. They are two different things but we don’t know yet.”

Now, it has become evident that Odegaard, who is also Norway’s skipper, could be a major doubt for the forthcoming internationals.

THE LATEST: MANAGER’S UPDATE

According to Norway coach Stale Solbakken, Martin Odegaard remains a doubt for his national side ahead of the upcoming internationals, although he is still hopeful of getting to have him feature.

A calf injury forced Odegaard out of the Brentford game and Arsenal immediately alerted Norway they may be without their skipper against Slovenia and Serbia.

“We are in regular dialogue with him and [Mikel] Arteta and Arsenal’s health sector,” Solbakken said, as per Norwegian broadcaster TV2, quoted by 90min. “Nothing has been decided there, so there is still hope. They are the ones who have handled him up until now, and they are in dialogue.

“He’s not doing well now. Now it’s a matter of getting a final decision on whether he can be in both or one game. We’ll certainly see him in Norway, either as a player or a ‘fourth coach’. It means a lot to have him.”

THE VERDICT: BIG MISS

He is an influential figure for in the Norwegian national team and will be a big miss in their next set of internationals. For Arsenal, Arteta will be hoping to have him back before the North London derby against Tottenham immediately after the international break.

Meanwhile, there is a possible alternative for Arteta in Fabio Vieira should Odegaard fail to return to full fitness before that Premier League encounter next month.

 

Comments are closed.