Martin Odegaard delivers huge injury update and details return timeline at Arsenal

Martin Odegaard has attempted to dispel some worry about his ankle setback after his Norway boss delivered a concerning update this week

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard says his ankle injury does not seem as bad as first feared and hopes to be back in action before long with recovery going “really good”.

The 25-year-old suffered ligament damage during last month’s international break and faced a lengthy lay-off. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said his return could be measured in weeks rather than months but Norway boss Stale Solbakken delivered an ominous update on Wednesday.

“He is far from being in the squad," he said ahead of next week’s international break. "We will see how far he gets during this national team break. I have known for quite some time that he was not relevant for this gathering."

However, Odegaard himself has attempted to quell the angst around his setback by offering an encouraging update. The midfielder explained how his ankle is holding up better than first predicted albeit underlined that his recovery is very much a daily process.

Commenting in this weekend’s Arsenal matchday programme ahead of the visit of Southampton, Odegaard said: “I just wanted to start with the latest on my injury and rehab. In the last week or so I’ve made really good progress.

“I’m getting better and better by the day and feel it’s going well. When you feel like things are moving forward, it gives you motivation to do more and more, and work harder.

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“Today is our last game before another international break, so that gives me some more time to work on the rehab, too. Hopefully it won’t be much longer; I think we will know more as soon as I get out on the training pitches and we see how my ankle responds to that.

“At the moment it’s progressing well and it looks better than we were thinking, but we’ve still got to take every day as it comes. Anyway, it looks as though the team don’t really need me at the moment!”

Arsenal remain unbeaten this season despite Odegaard’s injury, having won four of the six matches he has missed. Arteta rues the absence of his skipper but has hailed the way his team have adapted without their talisman.

"The impact that Martin has in everything we do is too big to try to replicate it with one player,” the Catalan said of the No.10 role. “We tried to do it in a different way by adapting a few things and playing on players’ qualities, players who can play in spaces and positions with the right chemistry around them.

"Maybe it took a game or two before everything started to flow a bit better, but I think we have found a way. But we still miss him (Odegaard) a lot as he is one of the most important players for us."

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