LONDON — Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard was missing for their big London derby against Chelsea on Sunday, which they ended up winning 2-1, with the latest injury news surrounding their influential midfielder a big concern as he just can’t stay fit.
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Odegaard, 26, has suffered several injuries this season but has recently made his comeback and came off the bench at Spurs 10 days ago and looked sharp.
The Norwegian star was also pictured in training the day before the win against Chelsea, so it was quite a surprise to see that Odegaard wasn’t with the squad on Sunday.
Martin Odegaard injury news, latest update
Before the game Mikel Arteta confirmed that Odegaard has a knee issue, which is a real concern: “Unfortunately Martin is still not feeling totally comfortable with that knee injury, and we decided not to risk him.”
The latest update ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Brighton Wednesday was a little more promising as Arteta said “we have to wait and see how comfortable he is to do certain actions.”
It remains to be seen if Odegaard will return to the squad for their trip to Brighton on Wednesday, but with Arsenal having so many other midfield options, it would be a bit silly to risk Odegaard’s long-term fitness (both for Arsenal and Norway) by rushing him back.
In previous seasons Odegaard was rushed back because he was so important to Arsenal but now their squad is deeper, there is less need for him to come back quicker than expected.
