Arsenal given pessimistic update on Martin Odegaard injury

By Oliver Thomas, Senior Reporter | 20 September 2022

Norway head coach Stale Solbakken reveals that Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard is "not doing well" after sustaining a calf injury.

Norway head coach Stale Solbakken has revealed that Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard is "not doing well" after sustaining a calf injury.

The 23-year-old missed the Gunners' 3-0 Premier League victory away against Brentford on Sunday along with left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Mikel Arteta is unsure when the pair will return.

"Yeah they are both injured and not available for the game," Arteta told Sky Sports News before last weekend's win.

"I don't know [when they will return]. We have the international break right now so that will give us a break. They are two different injuries and things but we don't know yet."

Despite missing out at the Gtech Community Stadium, Odegaard has been included in Norway's 26-man squad for their upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures against Slovenia and Serbia.

Martin Odegaard celebrates getting an equaliser for Arsenal on August 27, 2022 © Reuters

Odegaard is doubtful for Norway's trip to Slovenia on Saturday, though, with Solbaaken stating that he and his staff have been in regular contact with Arsenal to discuss the player's condition.

"We are in regular dialogue with him and (Mikel) Arteta and Arsenal's health sector, as it is called in Danish. Nothing has been decided there, so there is still hope," Solbakken told TV2.

"They are the ones who have had 'hands on 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."

Odegaard started as captain in all of Norway's first four Nations League games in League B Group 4 earlier this year, with Solbakken's men currently sitting at the summit with 10 points.

Martin Odegaard in action for Arsenal on July 20, 2022 © Reuters

The playmaker has since made a bright start to the new Premier League campaign with Arsenal, scoring three times in six appearances, including a brace in the 3-0 win away at Bournemouth last month.

Should Odegaard require further treatment to his calf injury, Fabio Vieira could be handed another start when Arsenal welcome North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur to the Emirates Stadium for their next Premier League encounter after the international break on October 1.

Vieira scored his first goal for the Gunners in the 3-0 win at Brentford before he was replaced in the closing stages by teenager Ethan Nwaneri, who became the Premier League's youngest-ever player at the age of 15 years and 181 days.

Meanwhile, Zinchenko has been ruled out of Ukraine's upcoming internationals with a calf problem and is set for at least two weeks on the sidelines.