Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has revealed he’s suffered ankle ligament damage and doesn’t know when he’ll be fit to return to action. After limping off in Norway’s Nations League game with Austria this month, the 25-year-old returned to London on crutches.
He duly missed the north London derby clash with Tottenham and was still absent for Sunday’s thrilling 2-2 draw at Manchester City.
Arsenal fans have waited anxiously for a diagnosis on the midfielder’s injury, and now Odegaard has broken his silence.
In in his programme contribution ahead of Arsenal’s Carabao Cup clash against Bolton Wanderers tonight (Wednesday), Odegaard said: “It’s been a while since my last programme notes, so I thought I would start with the latest on my injury.
“It was a bad twist to my ankle, and I damaged some ligaments there, but it’s part of football and now I’m just trying to recover as quickly as I can. I’m moving forward, making progress and I’m feeling more positive every day.”
Tellingly, at the start of a seven day period where the Gunners follow their Carabao Cup tie with games against Leicester and PSG, Odegaard was unable to provide any kind of return date. He added: “I’m working hard and my only thought is to get back as soon as possible.”
How Arsenal cope without Odegaard is set to prove critical to their Premier League title ambition. Ahead of the game at the Etihad, manager Mikel Arteta admitted his skipper represented was a pivotal figure within the squad.
“He’s our captain. He’s been one of the biggest and best players in our team,” he said. “Our identity is very linked to how he plays and behaves. It’s a big test for the team to see how able we are to show a different face.”
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