Arteta had earlier said Odegaard was set for a lengthy spell on the sideline after picking up an injury during last international break
By Kehinde Okeowo
Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta has lifted the spirit of Gunners’ fans after providing a positive update on the fitness of his captain, Martin Odegaard.
The 25-year-old suffered an ankle ligament injury in the second half of Norway’s win against Austria on September 9 and has since been unavailable for the Gunners.
The midfielder after the injury said he was “scared” about the severity of the issue and it is not known how long he will be out for.
Also speaking on the incident, Arteta confirmed that Odegaard was set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
“After recent scans the scans showed that he’s got some damage especially on one of the ligaments in the ankle,” the Spaniard said. “We’re gonna miss him. I don’t want to do (give a timeline on his return) because I’m not a doctor. But it’s something quite significant so we’re going to lose him for a while.”
Since that time, Odegaard has been wearing a protective boot as he continues to recover from the injury.
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He was also left out of Norway squad for the upcoming Nations League games against Slovenia and Austria.
Speaking on the development, Norway boss, Stale Solbakken admitted he had long known that he would not be able to call on Odegaard.
He said, Far. He is far from being in the squad.
“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, speaking ahead of Arsenal’s Saturday Premier League clash with Southampton, Arteta revealed that the Norwegian is now walking without protective boot ahead of schedule.
“I expected still with the boot and a lot of things (at this point),” Arteta said. “But he’s working so hard and he’s feeling good and he’s pushing it”