Martin Odegaard’s latest injury news will not be welcomed in and around Arsenal, and Mikel Arteta saif Friday that Odegaard will not return to action for “weeks.”
A report has claimed that Odegaard will not return until after the November international break, according to the BBC"s Sami Mokbel.
“It will be weeks,” Arteta said Friday. “There is no definite date for his return, but he’s evolving well. It’s very unlucky what’s happened to him and his injuries this season, but I think he will be back in a few weeks. We’ll have to see how he progresses, how the knee’s healing, and how he manages after the next steps in his rehab.”
The Gunners’ Norwegian captain missed the October international break after leaving his October 4 start against West Ham following an appearance lasting just under 30 minutes, failing to build on a superb display in a UEFA Champions League midweek win against Olympiacos,
Mikel Arteta and Arsenal just can’t catch a break with injuries so far this season, and the West Ham match marks the third Premier League home game this season that saw Odegaard leave with a first-half injury.
Arteta confirmed after the game that it wasn’t looking good and that Odegaard had a brace on his knee. Surely he would’ve been hoping for better than this, though.
What games will Martin Odegaard miss?
The Gunners return from the international break with a 12:30pm ET Saturday kickoff at Fulham in the Premier League, then stay in London to host Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on October 21.
Next up is a visit from Crystal Palace in the league before Brighton comes to the Emirates Stadium for a League Cup Round of 16 match.
A forgiving stretch of early November fixtures see a trip to Burnely on November 1, then a journey to Slavia Prague in the UCL on Nov. 4 and another away date at Sunderland four days later.
It’s enough to think that Arsenal are hoping that giving Odegaard a bit more time to recuperate thanks to a soft list of fixtures might be in his best interests for what turns into a grueling stretch after the November break: Spurs at home, Bayern at home, and Chelsea away in an 8-day span.
Martin Odegaard misses international break with Norway
Arsenal released the following statement on Odegaard after the win over West Ham, confirming he will not head away on international duty with Norway and gave no timeframe for his return.
“Martin Odegaard has been withdrawn from the Norway national team for their upcoming matches against Israel and New Zealand after sustaining a medial collateral ligament injury to his left knee during the first half in Saturday’s win over West Ham United. Martin will continue to be assessed and treated by our medical team at Sobha Realty Training Centre during the international window, with the aim of a return to action as soon as possible.”
After being involved in a collision against West Ham, the Norwegian midfielder went down holding his left knee and tried to carry on several times. He kicked the ball out of play to receive treatment but moments later he went down again and signaled that he needed to come off. Odegaard looked dejected as he fell to the floor and held his head in his hands as he had to subbed off with Martin Zubimendi coming on in his place.
After suffering several shoulder injuries so far this season, a knee injury is the latest setback for Odegaard.
Who could step in for Martin Odegaard?
Obviously this is a blow because Odegaard in full flow is a joy to watch and is so key to everything Arsenal do.
But Arsenal do have plenty of options to replace Odegaard. Eberechi Eze playing alongside Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice in a midfield three is the most likely option, and that’s not a bad midfield trio.
Mikel Merino and Ethan Nwaneri will also get plenty of minutes in midfield. This injury to Odegaard is both a physical and figurative pain, but the Gunners are built for this thanks to after an impressive summer in the transfer market.
Arsenal are now much better equipped to deal with an injury of this magnitude, and have dealt with injuries to Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, and William Saliba amongst others thanks to their offseason transfer work.
